


The Diplomats

by GremlinSR



Series: ByakuNara Thursdays [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Assassination, BAMF Hyuuga Hinata, BAMF Nara Shikamaru, Crime Fighting, Discussions of Human Trafficking, Discussions of Major Crimes, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced non-con of background original characters, Leather Jumpsuits, Moving On, Past Hinata/Naruto, Past Shikamaru/Temari, Post-Shippuden, Rare Pairings, Romance, Slow Burn, disguises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-10
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-05-04 21:35:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 65,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14602209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GremlinSR/pseuds/GremlinSR
Summary: Shikamaru is assigned the unenviable task of dismantling an international criminal organization. Nobody is more surprised than Hinata when he chooses her as his mission partner. As they travel across four countries under the guise of a diplomatic contingent, they begin to realize that the situation is more dire than anybody could have anticipated.





	1. Chapter 1

“My first mission after leaving ANBU, and you give me this,” Shikamaru grumbled into the empty room he had hijacked as his base of operations.

He knew that if Kakashi were there he would have simply eye-smiled at him and acted generally infuriating, so Shikamaru was just fine voicing his complaints against the man into the void. He tapped his fingers on the table, eyes darting over the maps, blueprints, and mugshots of international criminals he had spread out on its surface.

He’d been tasked with toppling a crime ring that had set up shop across multiple countries. The difficult part was that he had to do it quietly since there were some top-ranking officials in at least two of the Great Nations that had their sticky fingers all over it. They could make things unpleasant for the hidden villages if they could connect any action taken against the lucrative black market to shinobi.

Quietly meant that he got to choose only one person for backup. Officially they would be on a diplomatic mission visiting Suna, Kiri, and Iwa. Unofficially they would be freeing captives, burning poppy fields, and assassinating ringleaders.

The choice of who to bring along on this disaster of a mission was complicated, as he needed his partner to fill a lot of roles. At first glance, people would assume that he’d want a heavy hitter to back him up.

Shikamaru, however, had yet to meet a heavy hitter that knew the meaning of subtle outside of his current Hokage. Plus, if all of the criminal bases were taken out by large jutsu it would be pretty easy to track the destruction back to Konoha. His partner also needed to be at least passable in diplomacy since they would be attending political functions and meetings to maintain their cover story. That took plenty of people out of the running.

On top of all of that, the person needed to have some impressive combat skills, but not necessarily a huge repertoire of jutsu. He’d also like them to have some sort of experience as a medic since if either of them were injured there would be no trips to the hospital. Shikamaru was fairly well-versed in his clan’s medical jutsu and could keep people alive in a pinch, but he wasn’t an actual medic, not even close.

“Alright,” he said to himself, leaning back and making a circle with his hands, closing his eyes. He really hoped that there weren’t any ANBU hiding in the ceiling. He’d never hear the end of it if he were caught talking to himself.

His mind raced through the possibilities. Ino met a lot of those criteria, certainly, and her clan jutsu would be useful while chasing leads. They trusted each other implicitly, and she was a more than passable diplomat. Shikamaru knew from experience, however, that she had a hard time keeping her cool when they came across the true monsters of the world. Not that he could blame her, but if they broke their cover they were screwed. The people they were hunting, he knew, were into all manner of terrible things.

He had to cut all of Team Seven for the same reason. They held strong ideals on justice and the protection of others and he didn’t see them silently blowing up bases and assassinating crime lords before delivering the victims to a nearby hospital without a word. This was just not their type of mission.

Inuzuka Hana was a possibility, but she wasn’t exactly inconspicuous with her three huge partners. Kiba was also the opposite of subtle on top of having zero medical knowledge...his thoughts paused there. Kiba might not have the traits Shikamaru required, but there was somebody on his old genin team who did _._

Hyuuga Hinata was raised on the subtleties of politics. She was patient, elegant, and accomplished in her clan’s Gentle Fist style. She was also a medic, even if her skill in it wasn’t close to that of Sakura or Ino’s, as she’d only spent a year or so studying in the Medic Corps after the war. That was fine - Shikamaru didn’t need the best medic in the village. Just a passable one.

She was fierce only when it mattered and Shikamaru knew that while she was incredibly kind, he could count on her to see the big picture. She’d been looking at it for years within her own clan, after all. She had also cut her teeth on a tracking team, and her Byakugan would come in handy. She wasn’t a strategist, but he had that covered, along with the cold calculation they’d need to get this job done.

He wondered why he hadn’t thought of her immediately, then shrugged. Yet another point in her favor - her unassuming demeanor would only be an advantage on this mission.

Shikamaru stood and strolled over to the door, opening it a crack and letting his eyes wander until they landed on a passing chunin. “You,” he said, and the woman jumped before looking behind her.

When she didn’t see anybody else, she turned back to him and pointed at herself, eyes wide. Shikamaru couldn’t help the small smile at the woman’s reaction. It was still weird, having people treat him like he was somebody important.

“Yep. You. Go tell the Hokage I’m ready for him.” He shut the door on her alarmed expression. Nobody wanted to be responsible for tasking the Copy-nin with something.

When Kakashi meandered in over two hours later, Shikamaru had organized the maps and files and outlined a tentative mission plan. It would change on the fly, that was the nature of this type of mission, but it was good to have some sort of guideline to work off of in the beginning.

“Hokage-sama,” Shikamaru greeted and Kakashi waved off his formality.

“You’ve got a plan?”

“Hmm, the start of one. We both know it’s going to be a cluster from beginning to end.”

Kakashi looked down at the outline, nodding along as he read. After scribbling down a few notes while Shikamaru marked places of interest on a map of the Land of Wind, Kakashi stepped back. “Looks good, though we’ll need to hash out some details. Who did you choose for your teammate?”

“Hyuuga Hinata,” Shikamaru said absently, though he kept part of his attention on Kakashi to see his reaction.

He tilted his head in thought, a sign that he was taken off guard. He saw the moment that Kakashi came to the same conclusions he had about Hinata when his shoulders relaxed under his robes and he leaned back against the wall.

“Interesting choice, but I can see why you selected her.”

Shikamaru frowned down at the report Gaara had sent over. It detailed women from multiple villages in the Land of Wind who had gone missing in the past six months. He thought there might be a pattern - a loose one, but there.

“It took me awhile to recognize that she was a good fit for it, as well.” He grabbed a ruler and lined it up between two dots he’d put on the map. “Which means other people won’t suspect her, either.”

“Ah, I see. The lazy Nara and the sweet Hyuuga princess couldn’t possibly be responsible for the messy scene in that random village ten miles away.”

“Yep,” Shikamaru said. “It’s funny how people can forget about the trained kunoichi and shinobi underneath.”

Kakashi hummed his agreement, then came over to watch Shikamaru as he drew more lines.

“I suppose you’ll be heading to Suna first, then?”

Shikamaru kept his expression blank. “Looks like it.”

“That going to be a problem?”

Shikamaru shot Kakashi an unimpressed look. “I think I can handle it."

This mission just kept getting more and more troublesome.

000

Hinata stood by the gates, adjusting her pack and trying to look more awake than she felt. She hadn’t slept well the night before, nerves for her upcoming mission making her antsy.

Hinata had never been on such a high stakes assignment before outside of the war. Part of her was looking forward to it. It would call upon every single one of the skills she’d spent so much time honing the past nine years, and some that she’d never really put to the test before.

Another part of her was terrified. Messing this up would have huge political repercussions not just for Konoha, but for other hidden villages as well. If it was discovered that the Kages went behind the backs of their various Daimyo to take out a mostly civilian criminal organization, the fallout would be catastrophic. The hidden villages depended on the financial support of their country’s leaders and sanctions against them were rare but always heralded difficult times for shinobi.

Hinata folded her hands in front of her to keep from fidgeting. It wouldn’t do for Shikamaru to see how nervous she was. A captain needed to trust that his teammates could handle themselves.

“Hinata,” a voice said and she looked up from where she’d been frowning at the ground.

“Shikamaru-san, good morning,” she greeted.

He just grunted and her lips turned up into a smile. She hadn’t seen much of him the past few years, but it looked like his dislike of mornings hadn’t changed since the Academy, at least. Actually, she thought her short debrief with him two days ago might be the first time they had spoken in almost a year.

He motioned for her to follow him and she waved goodbye to the sleepy chunin sitting at the guard house desk. They took to the trees as soon as they reached the road and Hinata stayed back and to the right of Shikamaru in the standard flanking position.

They slowed around noon and Shikamaru signaled to let her know they were stopping. She landed next to him on a large branch and he plopped down and leaned against the trunk, grabbing a ration bar out of his flak jacket. He pulled a leg up and rested his arm over the knee, stretching the other out in front of him.

Hinata slid her pack off and sat cross legged across from him, pulling out her own lunch and water bottle. He was watching her under half-lidded eyes, but she didn’t let it bother her. Shikamaru, she knew, had already figured out almost everything of import about her before they even left the Academy.

“It’s been awhile,” he said after he’d finished about half his ration bar.

Hinata took a sip of water to rinse out her mouth before smiling. “Yes. I’m glad for the chance to spend time with you after so long.”

Shikamaru’s returning smile was fast, barely a flash of teeth. “The funny part is, you actually mean that. Well, I suppose you always did tend to like even the most annoying of people.”

Hinata tried not to flinch when Naruto immediately came to mind, but of course, he saw it. His expression went thoughtful, but he didn’t comment, which she was thankful for.

“Well,” she said after an awkward pause, “I’ve never thought you were annoying, Shikamaru-san."

“Eh, we’ve known eachother practically our whole lives. Just Shikamaru is fine.”

Hinata smiled. “Just Hinata, then.”

“Oh? No _-hime_?” He chuckled when she wrinkled her nose.

“Alright. We’re due in Suna in two days, so I suppose we shouldn’t linger.”

He stood and she put her water bottle and wrapper in her pack before following. It was interesting, but they’d never really conversed one-on-one before other than the usual greetings and small talk. They’d hung out in the same circles, and been on group missions together, but this was different.

Hinata was suddenly looking forward to this mission for reasons outside the usual professional ones. It would be nice to become closer to somebody that she’d always respected and considered an old friend.

They made camp that night with minimal conversation after Hinata volunteered to set up the fire. Shikamaru wandered off to hunt and she busied herself finding firewood. By the time he returned with some wild edible roots and a dead hare, she had a nice little blaze going.

She accepted the offerings with a smile and set about cooking the meat while Shikamaru sliced up the root vegetables. Hinata wasn’t an exceptional cook, but she’d prepared enough fireside meals with her team that whatever she made was usually at least passable.

When Shikamaru took a bite of the meat, though, he paused and glanced down at the leg in his hand before resuming. Hinata frowned down at her own food. Was it not good? She nibbled on it - a little bland, but it wasn’t horrible. She’d eaten Shino’s cooking before - _that_ was always guaranteed to be awful.

Team Eight had stopped letting him cook after the first few times he’d created something completely inedible and they’d all gone hungry as a result. Kiba was, surprisingly, the best cook out of all of them. He had claimed it was because he could either learn to make himself edible meals or starve to death at home. Tsume and Hana were not, he had explained, very good at any aspect of home making.

Hinata smiled to herself as she thought of her team, and hoped they would be okay without her around for so long. Kiba was currently in the midst of one of his ‘great loves’ that always imploded spectacularly about four months in. Usually, she was there to cheer him up, but this time he’d be on his own if it didn’t work out.

 _Not on his own,_ she reminded herself. He had his family and Shino and Kurenai. Still, she felt that she wouldn’t be there for him, after everything he’d done for her the past year.

“Did you read over the trade agreements that we’ll be meeting with the Suna contingent about?” Shikamaru asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Yes,” she said. “I actually made some notes, if you’d like to see them?”

He raised an eyebrow but nodded, and she reached into her pack to pull out the appropriate scrolls. He plucked them from her hands and opened the first one, looking it over as she gathered the dishes to clean.

It was only a few minutes after she returned to his side that he spoke. “These are good. I didn’t realize you knew so much about international politics. That trade agreement you referenced from the Fourth’s reign - that’s a smart move. Precedence is always a good argument.”

Shikamaru didn’t sound surprised, merely curious. Hinata hesitated before answering his unvoiced question. “For a time I was interested in the subject of international politics, and studied it extensively,” she settled on.

“I see,” he said and Hinata tried not to show her discomfort because she knew that he probablyunderstood what she wasn’t saying.

Everybody knew that Naruto was slated to become the next Hokage, and many had assumed that Hinata would be his wife, including herself. She had been preparing to support him in his role.

“I’m going to rework some of these to include your suggestions later,” he said, surprising her, and she flushed with pleasure over the fact that somebody as intelligent as Shikamaru thought her ideas were worthwhile. It was a heady feeling.

“For now, I want to go over the other parts of the mission.” She leaned forward when he pulled a scroll from his flak jacket and unrolled it.

They hadn’t gone over many details in the debrief since Kakashi said he’d prefer most of the discussion regarding the mission happen outside of the village, where there was less of a possibility of somebody successfully spying on them.

“This scroll will only open if it’s me applying chakra,” Shikamaru explained.

“Did you make that?” She studied the complicated seal revealed on the parchment.

“Yeah. I’m not as good as Naruto, but I’m fairly talented with seals.”

He motioned towards her pack. “I’ll make you a scroll to seal your stuff in once we’re in Suna and I can get some more materials.” Her eyes widened at the offer.

“I - I would appreciate that,” she said, flustered, and he placed the scroll flat on the ground and put a finger to it.

A pile of folders and rolled up maps appeared and Shikamaru motioned her closer. She walked over and knelt beside him, the warmth from his body feeling nice against the cool fall air.

“Alright.” He unrolled a map of the Elemental Nations. “As far as I can tell, there are three main strongholds to Ketsueki, with a few important satellite headquarters.”

Ketsueki was the name of the organization she and Shikamaru were responsible for disabling, and Hinata pursed her lips together. _Blood_ was a good word to describe the group that had been systematically killing civilians and destroying lives for months.

“I believe the branch in charge of human trafficking is located in the Land of Wind. This is the crime that the Kage are most interested in eradicating, so we’ll be hitting them first. They’ve been taking people from the Land of Rivers, Tea, and Grass as well, though Wind seems to have been hit the hardest.”

“That’s horrible,” Hinata said, tracing her fingers over the dozens of villages marked with red dots.

A familiar determination settled in her when she saw that a few of them were in the Land of Fire, as well. She would protect her country and all of the poor people around the Elemental Nations who were in danger from these monsters.

When she glanced at Shikamaru he was watching her with his head cocked to the side. He gave her a small nod, and she knew it was his way of saying, _yes, I’m with you, we’ll make them all pay._

“We’re to take any survivors that we find to the hospitals in the villages with the blue dots. The various hidden villages have quietly stationed medic nin there for other, unrelated missions. The code to give to them is _The Red Water Bird Burns at Midnight.”_

Hinata smiled. “Red for Gaara’s hair, I assume? Water bird for Kiri, and Burns for Konoha.”

His smile was crooked but sincere. “The Kage are actually a bunch of dorky poets by night,” he said, and she laughed.

“Alright. So that’s our first focus. Next, we need to deal with the drugs they’ve been producing, mostly in Water’s countryside.”

“So...those must be the green dots,” she said, and he nodded.

“Right. That’s where we think the product is coming from.”

“What are the black dots?” she asked, pointing at one that was close to the border of Earth in Land of Wind, and then to one in the Land of Water that was close to the sea on the far side of the country.

“Those are the headquarters, where everything goes before distribution. That’s where we’ll find the kingpins, I think.”

“Okay. What are the pink dots?”

Shikamaru glanced at her when she bit her lip to keep from smiling at the cheerful pastel color.

“I ran out of other colored dots, okay?” he grumbled, but his eyes were crinkled at the corners in humor. “Those are where we think they’re producing weapons and training recruits.”

Hinata drew in a breath, surprised. “That sounds more like an army than a criminal organization,” she said, and he nodded before rolling up the map.

“Yeah, that’s why we’re on this mission.”

“The Kage aren’t just worried that officials are making money on this,” Hinata said slowly as she worked through everything she’d learned. “They’re worried that some powerful non-shinobi leaders are building their own military, and using blood money to do it.”

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. “You really do have an eye for politics,” he said.

Hinata’s cheeks heated, and she looked away. “I’m familiar with power plays.”

“Yeah, the noble clans do like those,” he said, tone wry.

“What about the Tsuchikage? It looks like most of the training camps are in the Land of Earth, but it doesn’t seem like she’s aware of or part of the plan.”

Shikamaru hesitated, then shrugged. “From some hints that Kakashi-sama dropped, I believe that the Tsuchikage is aware, but other than looking the other way while we deal with the threat does not want to be involved.”

Hinata chewed on her bottom lip as she thought that over. So then Iwa was probably more tied to their current government than the other three villages involved, or perhaps were stretched thin on resources. This whole mission was going to be messy, it seemed.

It was getting too dark to pour over maps, so they put everything away, and Hinata volunteered for the first watch schedule. She wasn’t tired yet, and she also kind of hoped that Shikamaru would be less of a grouch in the morning if he’d already been up for hours.

It was a futile hope.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Shikamaru arrive in Suna. Drama ensues.

The next evening Hinata and Shikamaru went over their strategy for the upcoming diplomatic meetings. Though this part was a cover for their real mission, they were still there to set up important treaties on trade and military cooperation, so they had to take it seriously.

Much of it was just signing what Tsunade had set up after the Suna and Sound invasion during the chunin exams, but both Shikamaru and Kakashi were hoping to create a more substantial agreement. Suna was considered a close ally now, and there were more opportunities for contracts that would benefit both villages.

As they crossed into the desert the following morning Hinata noticed Shikamaru was becoming tenser the further they traveled. She knew from the general gossip mill that was the former Rookie Nine that his and Temari’s breakup had been rough.

According to Ino, he’d either proposed or been on the brink of it when Temari sent him a short missive breaking off their relationship six months ago. As far as Hinata knew, he hadn’t seen her since.

When they stopped for lunch she hesitated before wandering over to a few flowering cacti. “Shikamaru?” she called and he grunted, not looking up from his brooding. “The inside of this cactus is good for a few healing salves when they’re flowering. Do you mind if I take half an hour to harvest some?”

“No, that’s fine,” he said after a pause.

She busied herself with carefully puncturing holes towards the bottom of their broad bodies and collecting the thick viscous fluid that came out in some extra vials she always carried with her. It didn’t take her long and she bit her lip and looked over at Shikamaru after she finished. When she saw he hadn’t moved and was showing no signs of impatience, she made a snap decision.

Ten minutes later she approached him from behind and he jumped when she placed a flower crown on his head. Face twisted into a cranky expression, he looked up at her, then raised an eyebrow at her own bright crown.

“Ready?” She folded her hands in front of her and kept her expression serene.

He sent her a disbelieving look. “What’s with the flower crowns?” he asked, reaching up to remove his.

She grabbed his hand lightly in her own. “They’re pretty. I worked hard on them and it’ll hurt my feelings if you take it off.”

He snorted but dropped his hand back to his side. “Is this your attempt at cheering me up?”

She just bit her lip and looked at the ground, unsure if she'd done the right thing. Hinata did small, silly gestures like that for Shino and Kiba when they were feeling down, but her team had a rapport that they'd built throughout the years. Shikamaru probably didn't appreciate such things from someone he wasn't particularly close to.

He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. “That bad, huh? Sorry,” he said a little sheepishly.

Hinata shook her head, relieved that he wasn't annoyed. “It’s okay. I know this is going to be...difficult for you.” She chewed on her lip before deciding to continue. “I know we aren’t close, not like you are with Naruto and Ino and Chouji, but I’ll support you in any way I can.”

He blinked at her, visibly taken off guard, before his face softened into a small smile and he rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at the sky.

“Well, we should get going,” he said. “They’re expecting us.”

Their crowns flew off with the force of the air moving over them as they sped up, but Hinata didn’t mind. They’d done their job.

000

Shikamaru handed his paperwork to a guard at the gate, ignoring her pointed glance at her partner. His and Temari’s breakup had probably been big news here as well as in Konoha.

He put his hands in his pockets and made sure he looked as bored as possible. Just because he was a mess of anxiety and no small amount of anger didn’t mean he’d let anybody see it.

Hinata accepted the paperwork back with a smile and word of thanks and once again he felt grateful to his past self for choosing her as his partner for this mission. She’d already proven herself invaluable and they’d barely even begun.

The trick with the flower crown had been ridiculous and he had found it difficult to hold onto his angst when she was smiling down at him, bright blue and pink flowers stark against her dark purple hair. Just knowing she would support him while he went through the hell of facing his ex-girlfriend was a relief. Hinata was reserved, but she was steady and clever in her own way and was always gentle with her friends. He could use some gentleness right about now.

They’d barely taken three steps into the village when Gaara appeared before them in a swirl of sand. Shikamaru was relieved to see it was only him, with no siblings in sight. Hinata, to his surprise, brightened into a wide smile.

“Gaara-sama, it’s good to see you again,” she said with a bow.

He returned her smile with a small one of his own and tipped his head in greeting.

“Hinata-hime. I am gratified to see you well. Hello, Shikamaru-san,” he said and to Shikamaru’s surprise, his voice remained warm.

He’d been a little worried that his breakup with Temari would cause friction with Gaara. Of course, it hadn’t been him doing the breaking up, so that probably got him some leeway.

“Hello, Gaara-sama. Good to see you,” he said, not bothering to remove his hands from his pockets. “It’s nice of you to greet us yourself.”

Gaara turned to the side and motioned for them to begin walking up the street, then fell into step with them. He offered his arm to Hinata, which she took with another smile. Shikamaru’s brow furrowed. She should have mentioned to him that she and Gaara were that close. It could be an important deciding factor in the talks.

“Tell me what you have been doing since I last saw you,” Gaara said to her.

“Oh.” Hinata pushed a lock of hair behind an ear. “I’ve been training a lot with father, I suppose. You know that my year of apprenticing as a medic ended awhile ago.”

“Yes. You must have found it useful.”

“I did,” Hinata said. “But I’m glad it’s not my main focus.”

“There are other places to turn your attention. You are an exceptional tracker, and quite good at combat,” Gaara said and Hinata blushed.

Shikamaru had to work to keep a scowl off his face, though he wasn’t sure why he was bothered. This whole mission had him feeling unbalanced.

“Um, thank you. How are you? How is your family?”

“I am well, thank you. Quite busy with my duties, as I’m sure you're aware. Kankuro is preoccupied with the Puppet Corps, and my sister is doing well leading my guard.”

Shikamaru carefully didn’t react. So Temari had finally landed the position of Captain of the Kazekage's Guard. He wondered if that was part of the reason why she broke it off with him. He listened with half an ear as Gaara asked about Hinata’s family and she replied with inane details about her father and Hanabi. Finally, they stopped in front of a squat structure next to the rounded building that was the equivalent of Konoha’s tower.

“You are both familiar with our guest quarters?” he asked and they nodded.

“Then I will leave you to rest. I was hoping you might join me at my home for dinner tonight,” Gaara said, though he looked like he wasn’t sure whether the invitation would be welcome.

Hinata glanced at Shikamaru, who shrugged. “Sounds nice,” he said, because that was really the only choice.

Gaara gave them each a set of keys before disappearing the same way he’d appeared and they entered without a word. They were in suite three, which was a small but lavish living area with two rooms branching off on either side.

A low table surrounded by thick, brightly colored cushions, with two couches on each side set further back, had a pitcher of a sweet cactus juice and another of water. Both had a thick layer of condensation, though the air was colder here than outside in the hot sun.

“Oh, I love this stuff,” Hinata said and moved to pour herself a glass of juice.

Shikamaru accepted a cup of it from her and drained it. It was soothing on his dry throat, and he grabbed a grape from a bowl of fruit and popped it into his mouth before collapsing on a cushion.

“You didn’t tell me you were so close to Gaara,” he said mildly and Hinata blinked at him.

“Oh...I thought you knew. He’s close to Naruto, and I used to come with him to the diplomatic events.” She grimaced in apology. “I suppose I’m just used to you knowing everything.”

He huffed out a laugh and then relaxed. “I’m not actually a mind reader. Well, it can only work in our favor."

Hinata smiled at him when she saw he wasn’t upset. There was a bit of dirt on her nose and Shikamaru had the absurd thought that it was cute.

A few hours later, after showers and a nap, they were seated in the common area again, discussing their notes for the diplomatic meetings, when there was a knock on the door.

“Escort’s here,” Shikamaru said, rolling up their work and putting it into a pocket.

He was wearing a clean uniform, but Hinata had changed into a long-sleeved white dress and braided her hair back, leaving the shorter strands in front to frame her face. She looked quite nice, face young and fresh and eyes even more striking from the liner she’d put around them.

When Shikamaru had seen how perfectly she’d applied it, he’d flopped on the couch and asked her to do his own. Her hands had been steady even while she giggled about essentially doing his makeup for him. She’d smelled nice, like citrus and mint, and he’d relaxed under the soft touch of her hands on his face. It was an unexpected moment of levity in what was sure to be a hellish week and a half.

They moved to the door and Hinata made it first, opening it with a smile already on her face. Standing there, looking just as gorgeous as he remembered, was Temari.

Shikamaru froze for only a moment. He wasn’t sure why he was surprised - he’d known, of course, that she would be at dinner that evening, but he hadn’t thought that she would be the one to walk them there. He drank in her features even as his hands went to his pockets and his eyes went half-lidded in a practiced expression of _I don’t care._

There was an awkward moment and then Hinata stepped up to put her hand on Temari’s arm. “Temari-san, it’s so good to see you,” she said with real fondness and Shikamaru felt unexpectedly betrayed. 

Temari’s eyes moved from his face to Hinata’s and she returned her smile. It was strained but genuine. “Hinata-san. It’s good to see you, too.”

Movement behind Temari drew their attention and Shikamaru studied the man that had come with her. He was tall and had the dark skin and light hair of many of Land of Lightning’s citizens. His home country was confirmed by the hitai-ate he wore. He was older than Shikamaru by perhaps a decade, with a body that spoke of an active lifestyle and a pleasant, masculine face.

“Hello,” Hinata said politely. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Right,” Temari said, stepping back and to the side so they all had a clear view of each other.

Shikamaru knew that expression. Temari was about to say something he wasn’t going to like. “Riku, this is Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Hinata. They’re shinobi of Konohagakure and friends of the family.”

 _Ouch,_ Shikamaru couldn’t help but think about the designation, but it was nothing compared to what her next words did to him.

“Shikamaru, Hinata-san, this is Riku-san, the Raikage's cousin, and...my fiancé.”

Shikamaru knew that his expression had given him away, even though he wiped it off his face almost immediately. He probably would have had better luck keeping his feelings to himself if Temari had reached forward and ripped his intestines out of his body. Her face twisted into something resembling pain for a moment as well before she was back to looking pleasantly blank.

“It - it’s nice to meet you,” Hinata said and stepped forward and slightly in front of Shikamaru, almost as if she could physically block the blow Temari had just sent to his heart.

Riku hadn’t missed the byplay, he was sure, but he just bowed at Hinata and offered her an arm as he explained that Kankuro had sent them to pick them up. Well, that answered the question of whether Temari’s other brother was holding the breakup against him. This was a dick move, even for the sometimes-dickish man.

Temari waited for him to close and lock the door, then fell into step next to him. Everything about her was familiar yet distant, and he had to force himself to look away from her soft curves and bright hair. There was a pressure in his chest that was difficult to breath through, but he’d been through a war, watched his sensei and his father die.

He could hold it together for a bit of judicious stomping on his feelings from the girl he’d once thought he was going to marry. Temari waited until Hinata and Riku pulled ahead before speaking.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to spring that on you. I didn’t know you were coming until it was too late to send a letter, and I was going to stop by and warn you earlier today but there was an incident in training -”

“You don't owe me anything,” he said, voice calm - too calm. Temari would understand exactly how upset he was, but there was no helping it. She just knew him too well.

“I - I know that. I know we’re broken up.” Her voice cracked on the last word. “It’s political,” she said in a rush and Shikamaru stared straight ahead because he didn’t want to know any of this. The reasons behind it didn't matter, not to his heart.

“He’s going to be one of Gaara’s advisers and - god, I’m really sorry, Shikamaru.”

Temari never flinched or wrung her hands, hardly ever apologized, really, but she was doing all of it right now, and her eyes were suspiciously bright.

“I can’t do this right now,” he said in response and she nodded, looking miserable.

“Of course. Maybe...maybe we could talk tomorrow? After the initial meetings?”

“Sure, whatever,” he said, anxious to just end the conversation.

Dinner was awful, with Kankuro glaring at Shikamaru and Temari trying not to look at him at all. Gaara was his usual standoffish self, though Hinata was able to pull him into a conversation about visual jutsu that kept him engaged through half of dinner.

Riku was annoyingly likable and didn’t seem to hold any ill will towards Shikamaru for his past relationship with Temari. In fact, he was reluctantly pulled into a conversation about strategies that Shikamaru had come up with in the war.

Riku, it seemed, was a _fan_ of Shikamaru. It was infuriating and he could have kissed Hinata when she claimed a headache from the heat and Gaara offered to let her lay down in his office with a cool washcloth.

Shikamaru said his goodbyes as quickly as possible, ignoring the way Kankuro squeezed his hand too hard and how Temari tried to hide her sad expression. Riku gave him an enthusiastic clap to the shoulder and thanked him for “pulling our asses out of the fire in the war.” Could the man be any more likable?

Gaara shut his study door behind him, then sent his sand to the corners of the room. “Nobody will be able to hear what we say. I apologize, Shikamaru-san, for putting you through that dinner, but I needed an excuse to get you somewhere that we could speak in private.”

Shikamaru just shrugged and flopped down on the couch. Hinata sat primly next to him, and he ignored the concerned glance she sent him.

“It’s fine. Hinata, do you have the map?”

“Yes,” she said and pulled it from the folds of her dress.

They opened it and Gaara narrowed his eyes and looked it over. “Alright. Tomorrow we’ll attend the talks as planned. The next day, however, many of the officials who attended the dinner the night before will come down with a nasty case of food poisoning. Unfortunately, Shikamaru-san will be one of those afflicted, and Hinata-hime will be forced to take care of you. It will last two days, and we’ll resume the talks once you’ve recovered.”

Shikamaru hummed. “I see. Then we’ll use that time to take care of the base, get the surviving victims to the designated safe hospital, and then come back. I’m assuming you have some plan to make sure nobody notices we’re gone?”

Gaara tilted his head and sand flowed from his gourd to either side of him, molding into two perfect replicas of Hinata and Shikamaru.

The Shikamaru-clone slouched and yawned. “This is such a drag,” it said and the real Hinata giggled next to him.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up.” He glanced at her and smiled.

The Hinata clone turned to him, her brow wrinkling in a now-familiar expression of concern. “Are you okay, Shikamaru? You look unwell.”

She put the back of one hand to his forehead and Shikamaru shifted uncomfortably at the way his clone’s expression softened when it looked at her. He was pretty sure he didn’t do that, but then, most people tended to relax around her.

“I do feel a little sick,” Shikamaru-clone said, voice low and pathetic, expression entreating.

Hinata laughed outright at that and Gaara’s lips turned up slightly into a pleased smile and his clones disintegrated.

“I’m quite proficient with them and can keep them going for two days without issue. I doubt anybody will actually stop by, but if they do they’ll pass muster.”

They discussed the plan for a few more minutes before standing up to leave. On the way back they walked in silence. The night air was cool and welcome against his skin and he was thankful when Hinata didn’t say one thing about Temari or her fiancé.

He couldn’t wait for this portion of their mission to be over. Ketsueki was going down just for forcing him into such a situation.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru and Hinata finally get down to business, both as diplomats and as crime fighters. Also, drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those tags for hinted non-con of background characters come into play this chapter.
> 
> Also, for anybody who is curious, I'm using [this map](https://xshadowrebirthx.deviantart.com/art/Elemental-Nations-Political-Map-317422394) by xshadowrebirthx on DeviantArt as a reference when describing where all the countries are located in this story.

The diplomatic discussions the next day were mild as far as those things generally went. Both Hinata and Shikamaru hadn’t gotten much sleep since they had stayed up late preparing for their mission and Shikamaru had still been reeling from meeting Temari’s fucking _fiancé_.

Shikamaru resigned himself to being tired for the next few days. They would probably only sleep in bits and pieces until it was all done. That evening after becoming ‘ill,’ Gaara was going to sneak them out of the village. Then they would run through the night to reach the Ketsueki base, take it down, deliver any of the captives they freed to a village a half day’s walk away, then dash back before anybody noticed they were gone. Just another day in the life of a Konoha shinobi.

They were currently discussing ways to open up a trade route from a town on the border of the land of Earth. It was the only place where people could buy a few certain rare but powerful medicinal plants. It also had a lot of sheep, making them a potential exporter of wool.

“The manpower needed to patrol the trade route would take too much of our attention from our western borders,” Temari said with a frown. “Even if the Land of Fire covered the cost of building the road, I don’t know how we’d keep it safe from bandits.”

Shikamaru tapped his fingers on the table. “Iwa might be willing to add in some support. This trade route would work to their benefit, as well, if they extended the road into Earth Country.”

“Rain already agreed to have it cross through their borders, as well,” Hinata added. “They might extend some of their patrols out, if we ask. Everybody knows that you’ve been facing attacks from the West, and none of the other countries want to risk you losing ground.”

Kankuro leaned forward, expression intent. “How concerned are you? Concerned enough to send us some assistance?”

“It’s that bad?” Shikamaru asked and Kankuro sent him a dismissive glance.

“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t, genius,” he grumbled.

Shikamaru didn’t tense, but his eyes narrowed minutely. Kankuro’s attitude was getting on his nerves.

“Shikamaru only asks because we weren’t informed by the Hokage that you had sent a request for help,” Hinata said, tone low and soothing. “It must have been an oversight on our part.”

Gaara cleared his throat and Shikamaru caught the tail end of a quelling look sent at Kankuro. “Not at all,” he said smoothly. “We haven’t yet requested assistance, so there’s no way you could have known.”

Hinata smiled at him, pearlescent eyes crinkling at the corners and making her look like nothing more than the beautiful, soft-spoken heir of a noble clan that many who didn’t know her saw when they looked at her. Gaara, who had seen her cut through swathes of enemies during the war, just seemed mildly amused.

Kankuro sulked down in his seat, knowing Hinata had outmaneuvered him. Now Hinata seemed like the gracious, concerned ally that was doing her best to soothe the cranky brother of the Kazekage. Shikamaru nudged her ankle with his foot in thanks for her defense, and she glanced at him and smiled minutely.

By that evening they had a list of questions that they handed off to Gaara to send to Kakashi before heading to dinner. They had worn their usual shinobi gear to the meetings, as was considered proper for these types of discussions. Shikamaru sent a raised eyebrow at a young Suna shinobi when he caught him gawking at Hinata’s legs in their thigh-high stockings. He blushed bright red and quickly turned away. Shikamaru sighed down at his plate. It was the third time he'd caught someone staring that day.

Hinata sent him a questioning glance but he just waved her off and she went back to talking to one of the council members, Aiko, about Shino’s kikaichu. She was nodding along with the woman, expression earnest when Aiko admitted to having an interest in entomology and did Hinata think Shino would be willing to correspond with her over letters about Fire Country species of insects?

Shikamaru couldn’t entirely stop his small smile when Hinata took Aiko’s information down and promised to write Shino as soon as possible. He knew she’d keep her promise and that she wasn’t at all bothered by the request. Aiko knew it, too, because she smiled and patted Hinata’s hand and asked her if she wanted to meet her grandson.

Hinata stuttered out a polite refusal and Shikamaru snorted. She lightly kicked his ankle under the table even as she told the woman that she wanted to focus on her career. Of course, everyone around her found that very impressive and praised her for her dedication to her village. Shikamaru was a little bit in awe of her ability to make the people around her at ease.

He caught Temari sending him searching looks a few times from her spot next to her _fiancé_ \- -that word was never going to stop pissing him off - but for the most part, he succeeded in ignoring her.

They were keying into their suite at the end of the dinner, both of them intent on a nap, when Temari called his name. Shikamaru closed his eyes and let out a breath and when he opened them the first thing he saw was Hinata’s worried expression.

“Go on,” he said and she only hesitated a moment before slipping inside.

He turned to face Temari, who was doing her best not to fidget and staring up at him, lips parted and eyes searching.

“Yeah?” He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

“I just wanted to let you know...the engagement to Riku didn’t have anything to do with our breakup. That happened later.”

Shikamaru wasn’t sure whether that made him feel better or not. On the one hand, she hadn’t dumped him for a political marriage. On the other, she’d dumped him for no reason other than ‘she wanted to.’

“Alright. Is that all?” he asked in a bland tone.

She hesitated and looked to the side. “You - you never responded to my letter.”

He stared at her. This is what she had to say to him after six months apart? He cursed the part of him that had hoped for even a second that she was there to tell him she’d made a terrible mistake, dumped Riku, and please could Shikamaru take her back?

“That’s what you want to talk about?”

Temari took a deep breath, annoyance flashing on her face, and _that_ was much more familiar than her earlier guilt and discomfort.

“Well, why didn’t you?”

“There was nothing more to say.”

“You can’t be serious! We dated for a year, and you just - you just accepted it?”

“What was I supposed to say, Temari?” he asked, temper flaring. “You wanted me to run all the way to Suna and beg for you to take me back on my knees?”

“No! But maybe some sign that you cared at all would have been nice,” she snapped, and god, he’d forgotten how beautiful she was when she got angry.

Her cheeks had turned red and her eyes were bright. The way her chest was heaving was distracting and it took him a few seconds to tear his eyes away. She noticed, of course, and the answering interest in her eyes was both a vindication and a blow.

“Didn’t care?” he asked, incredulous. “I was shopping for rings! I had to tell my best friends ‘oh, never mind; I don’t need your help picking out the perfect engagement ring, she’s just broken up with me.’” He took a deep breath and when he spoke again, his voice was back to being calm. “You broke my heart, and yet it was up to me to fix everything? I don’t think so, Temari. I’m not that pathetic.”

Temari’s eyes had gone wide and she was staring up at him. “I - I broke mine, too,” she whispered.

He wasn’t sure who moved first, but the next moment, they were kissing. It was frantic; open-mouthed and messy. Temari's hands were bunched in his shirt and his were on her waist, digging into her hips and pulling her against him.

She tasted just like he remembered and her body was soft with a hint of firm muscle beneath his hands. His heartbeat still picked up in excitement, but something about it felt flat.

He pushed her away from him and turned his head to the side. “I’m not doing his. Go back to your _fiancé.”_

He didn’t look over to see what her face was doing, though he could guess from the way she yelled, “Fuck you, Shikamaru!”

A sob punctuated her point as he slipped through the door and slammed it behind him. He collapsed against it and listened to the sound of her rapid footsteps while she walked away.

“Dammit!” He slammed a fist back against the wood, but it was half-hearted at best.

He looked up and saw that Hinata was standing in the living room, eyes wide and looking a bit like a rabbit caught in a trap. He sighed. Perfect, his humiliation was complete.

“You heard all that, huh?”

“Um,” she said.

“You must think I’m pretty pathetic.” He leaned his head back and looked up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly.

He heard Hinata moving around, a rustle of fabric and the drip of water, and he glanced down when she came to stand in front of him. She reached up and he saw there was a wet cloth in her hand. He frowned but didn’t dodge when she brought it up to his lips and carefully wiped at them, the rasp of fabric rough against his skin.

“Lipstick,” she explained and his resulting laugh was choked and wet.

“You’re not pathetic,” she said firmly, gaze meeting his, chin tipped up and the hand without the washcloth fisted at her side.

Before he could respond, she’d turned and walked across the room. Her door closed with a soft _snick_ behind her and he was left standing in the living room, alone. For lack of better options, he shuffled off into his room and collapsed on the comfortable bed.

He thought back on the altercation in the hall and he couldn’t help but wonder; what if he _had_ run all the way to Suna and begged for Temari to take him back? Would it have made a difference? Did it matter? What she did felt like a betrayal of everything that he thought they were. He could still remember the letter she’d written, word for word, though he’d long since tossed it out.

_Shikamaru,_

_I’m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore. I don’t want to leave my brothers and my home, and we both know that you can’t abandon your responsibilities or your mother. I really am sorry._

_Temari_

He could admit that if one of them bent, it would have had to be her, which wasn’t fair. He was the head of his clan and already somebody that his village leaned on. Of course, she was also a bedrock to Suna, but to put it bluntly, Konoha would not part with him.

So Shikamaru had respected her choice, lived in misery for months, and quietly resented her for choosing her brothers and village over him, even while he couldn’t blame her. She had made the same decision he would have in her place, after all.

Shikamaru cleared his mind and forced himself to fall into a light slumber, knowing he needed the rest. His village and his teammate were counting on him. Hell, the whole of the Elemental Nations were counting on him. Failure was not an option, no matter how much he wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep for a week.

000

When Gaara arrived a few hours later, he and Hinata were already up and ready to go. Shikamaru had woken her and silently handed her what she would wear as a disguise.

Hinata looked deadly in the black leather sleeveless jumpsuit that hugged her curves almost uncomfortably close. A dark grey cowl over the top of it was held in place with a dark red rose-shaped pin. It was much different than her usual shorts and kimono-style shirt combo, that was for sure.

She had braided her hair back and colored the area around her eyes black with face paint. With the cowl up, if she were careful, she would be able to hide her distinctive Hyuuga eyes in shadow.

He had sat patiently while she pulled his hair out of its tail and it braided back as well, then added his face paint. He wasn’t used to the tight, clinging leather clothing, but it stretched with his movements, so it was fine.

Gaara's eyebrows had climbed halfway up his forehead when he entered the room and caught sight of their outfits. “The Haoru will kill you if they discover that you impersonated them.”

Shikamaru had decided that the only group of people who weren’t shinobi that could take credit for such a takedown was the infamous assassin’s group, Haoru. Though all the assassins in the organization were non-shinobi, they made even seasoned jounin pause. They were trained from childhood in the art of assassination and prided themselves in having no allegiances outside their order.

They were mysterious, wily, as rare as tailed beasts, and dangerous as hell. They would also be sneaky and deadly enough to pull off what Shikamaru was attempting now, and as long as somebody was willing to pay them they’d do it, too. Hopefully, if somebody saw them near the sites and connected them to the takedowns, it would be pinned on the Haoru.

“Better not tell anybody, then,” Shikamaru said and stretched.

Hinata glanced over at him, eyes lingering on the long line of his body, and he resisted the urge to smile. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one that looked good in these ridiculous disguises. ANBU had been the ultimate training regime in and of itself, and he knew his body was in the best shape of his life. Her noticing was a balm on his currently tattered ego, even if he knew it was a passing interest.

Gaara shook his head but didn’t comment on their possible death-by-assassins further. His sand poured out on either side of him and turned into Hinata and Shikamaru replicas. The Shikamaru-clone was holding his stomach and looking pitiful, and Hinata-clone ran over to his side.

“Nice,” Shikamaru said as he watched himself dart to the bathroom, Hinata-clone calling out to let him know she’d make him tea. To his amusement, the real Hinata sent a worried look towards the direction the clone had gone. She was ridiculous.

“Come,” Gaara said and walked into the living room.

More sand swirled around his feet and over to the table, lifting it and setting it gently aside. He then folded back the thick rug to reveal wooden floorboards. They were pried up by tendrils of Gaara’s sand and set aside, displaying a small hatch set into packed dirt.

Gaara walked over to it and touched his hand to a seal in the corner. A moment later it opened and musty air released into the room, sending dust particles flying.

Hinata sneezed, a delicate sound that was slightly absurd coming from her leather-clad form. Shikamaru chuckled, and she blushed. Funny, two hours ago he hadn’t thought he would be capable of smiling or laughing again for a long while.

“This will lead you out of the village. Just head east. I will leave it unlocked until your mission is complete,” Gaara said.

“This seems like a security risk,” Shikamaru noted and Gaara tipped his head to the side.

“Usually the way is not open,” he said simply and Shikamaru hummed, recognizing when a subject was closed.

“I will see you both when you return,” Gaara said in a clear dismissal.

Shikamaru waved at him before leaping down into the cool darkness. He landed lightly on his feet after a fifteen-foot drop and moved to the side just as Hinata joined him. The hatch door above them closed with a soft _snick,_ and Shikamaru blinked as more dust billowed around them with the displacement of air. Hinata let out another sneeze and he grinned.

“We should avoid using light, just in case,” Shikamaru said. “Can your Byakugan guide us?”

“Yes.” Hinata sniffled. “Um, here, if you hold my -”

There was the sound of shuffling and then a light touch of fingers to his arm in the dark. She wrapped her hand around his wrist and brought it up to her shoulder.

“The floor is packed dirt, but it’s a bit uneven, so be careful,” she whispered.

“Alright.” He followed when she started walking at a steady pace that was still slow enough to allow him to place his steps carefully.

They remained silent as they went, unsure how sound traveled in the tunnel. Her shoulder felt delicate beneath his hand but she never faltered in her steps. About twenty minutes later Hinata stopped, and Shikamaru barely kept himself from colliding with her back.

“Sorry,” she whispered. “I think this is the entrance, I just need to...”

Her shoulder slipped out from under his hand. There was a flare of chakra, and then a scraping sound. A sliver of dim light appeared and grew wider, and Shikamaru blinked to help his eyes adjust as moonlight crept across the ground in front of him.

Hinata stood at the entrance, head moving as she scanned their surroundings. The moon illuminated her face when she stepped outside, caution making her movements lethal and smooth. He followed her out and relaxed when she did.

“Clear,” she said before she turned and pressed a hand to one of the low boulders lining the entrance.

A large round rock to the side shuddered once before rolling with a scrape against dirt to cover the evidence of the existence of an underground tunnel. He wondered what she was seeing with her Byakugan - probably some sort of hidden seal. He resisted asking since Gaara was already trusting them with a well-kept secret of his village.

Shikamaru pulled his hood up and glanced over at her. “From here on out, these stay on.” She nodded before following his example.

They set off across the sand, keeping to the shadows cast by the dunes to stay out of sight of anybody that might be watching from the top of the ridges that hid Suna from casual view. They’d come out of the tunnel about a quarter of a mile from the border of the village, and with their black and grey clothes they’d be unrecognizable even if they were seen, but it was best to be cautious.

They didn’t speak until they stopped to take a short break about three hours before daylight. They still had another two hours before they reached where Shikamaru had guessed the base was located from patterns of crime and reports of odd movements in the area. They’d have to launch their attack in daylight, which wasn’t ideal, but they’d make do.

“Here, Shikamaru, have some water,” Hinata said, tilting her head back until she was looking at him with those wide, concerned eyes from under her cowl.

He sighed but accepted the bottle she was holding out to him and took a long drink. He always forgot just how much he hated the desert, though it wasn’t quite so bad at night. It helped that it was late fall, as well.

“Thanks,” he said, and he saw her lips curve up where the moon managed to cast its light in a small triangle of space on her face.

“Shikamaru,” she said a while later when he’d fallen back into brooding as they raced across the never-ending sand.

“Hmm?”

“I know...I know it’s very difficult right now. But I found, um. When I was - well, I found that it gets easier faster than you think, once you accept that it’s...over.”

He felt a flash of annoyance that had more to do with how transparent he was with his feelings and with the fact that Temari had left him in the first place, than with Hinata’s fumbling attempts at comfort. Still, he couldn’t quite stop himself from snapping at her.

“Oh? I think my situation is a bit different, don’t you? After all, the problem isn’t that Temari doesn’t love me.” Her footsteps faltered next to his.

He wished he could take the words back as soon as he spoke them. He braced himself and waited for her no doubt angry response.

If he had said something like that to Ino, the woman would have laid into him until he was apologizing just to get her to shut up. Temari would have smacked him with her fan, and his mother would have given him so many chores he wouldn’t have time to nap for a week.

Hinata just went very quiet next to him. Finally, when he was about to stop so he could try to catch a glimpse of her face, she spoke. Her voice was a little shaky, and so soft that he barely heard it.

“I apologize for my forwardness, Shikamaru-san,” she said.

She fell back and to his right instead of running next to him. She didn’t speak to him for the rest of the journey. He couldn’t even try to get a read on her body language since she was behind him. He spent the rest of the run glowering at nothing, mind racing through apologies and recriminations. Sometimes he could be a real asshole.

By the time they reached a long, squat lodgehouse made out of adobe that had seen better days - much, much better days - he had decided that the silent treatment was worse than the usual reaction he got from angry females. If they were yelling at him, it was hard to feel anything but annoyance. Being left to ruminate on his own failures meant he felt guilty, which sucked. 

Hinata knelt next to him in the thin brush, Byakugan activated and face expressionless. “There are no patrols outside of the house,” she whispered. 

“There are two main rooms. One has...fifteen sleeping figures. Um, women, mostly. One is a man. The other room has...nine men. Probably the guards. Half of them are sleeping.” Her hands had fisted at her sides, and he wondered if she was still that upset with him.

Shikamaru put thoughts of apologies and losing his temper out of his mind as he focused on the mission. “Alright. I want you to draw it out in the dirt, as close to accurate as you can get.”

She nodded and set about making a map of where everybody was at in the lodge. He handed her water and a ration bar as she worked, and she thanked him politely and blandly, as though he were a stranger.

He firmly told himself that he could worry about it later. Right now he needed to concentrate. After a few minutes, a plan began to form in his mind.

“Alright,” he said. “Here’s what we’re gonna do.”

000

Half an hour later, Hinata activated her Byakugan to do one last sweep of the area before they moved forward with the plan.

“The tenth man has moved into the room with the other guards,” she whispered.

“Alright. Remember, no jutsu or obvious chakra use in front of the civilians. We'll try to take them out before they manage to exit the building.”

She nodded and his eyes lingered on her hips when she added a belt with small throwing daggers sheathed all the way around it to her disguise. He’d added them last minute as something he assumed a member of Haoru would use. Hinata was reasonably talented with senbon and he had figured they were close enough in size and weight to the weapons that she could use them.

“I’ll remember, Shikamaru-san,” she said.

“Okay. None of the criminals can come out of this alive,” he added, looking almost apologetic.

Her lips pursed, which were still the only part of her face he could see, even in the early morning light.

“That won’t be a problem.”

He remembered the way one of her hands had clenched when she was telling him the positions of everybody in the lodge and wondered what she’d seen that would make somebody like Hinata so unphased about what was primarily a wetworks mission. Then he decided not to dwell on it.

“Alright,” he said. “Let’s go.”

They separated, Hinata moving around to the back of the house and Shikamaru creeping up on the front. He crouched behind a cactus and only had to wait about three minutes before there were cries of dismay from inside the building, and smoke started to billow out from the crack under the door.

It flung open and the ten guards Hinata had described fell out of it, coughing and blinking away tears from the noxious smoke bomb they’d used. It was traditionally a weapon used by civilian armies kept by the Daimyo for regular peacekeeping efforts and not something people would assume a shinobi would use.

Shikamaru made a hand sign and his shadows stretched out and captured all ten of the men. Hinata came running out from behind the building and he watched, impressed, when she took out four of them with perfectly aimed throws of her tiny daggers.

The two closest to her fell to a longer knife she pulled from the tall, sturdy leather boots she was wearing after she slid it across their jugulars. Four died of broken necks from Shikamaru’s jutsu.

Shikamaru released his shadows just before the first civilian stumbled out of the windowless building, gaunt and pale and bruised. She was dressed only in a shapeless nightshirt. More followed, and soon ten were collapsed on the ground, all of them looking like they’d seen better days.

“I’m going to check inside, Ume,” Hinata said, using his Haoru codename, making her voice low and rough.

“Alright,” he agreed, disguising his voice as well.

By the time she returned with four more women, the ones who were out and had managed to stop coughing and clear their vision were staring at him with outright terror. He ignored the urge to soothe them - a Haoru assassin would remain impassive, after all.

Hinata dumped the girl she’d been supporting next to one of the healthier looking older women, and moved to look over the bodies of the dead men. After a moment she turned towards him and shook her head.

He knew that meant that they hadn’t killed the suspected leader of this particular group, whose description they had long since memorized. She came to stand with her back to Shikamaru’s, no doubt searching the area with her Byakugan.

A few of the girls had caught sight of the bodies of the dead guards and were now crying or staring at them in disbelief.

“Alright,” he said, voice low and rough. “Somebody has paid us to kill your captors and deliver you to the nearest hospital. You will come quietly. You,” he pointed to a woman of about twenty-five with long brown hair and a spark of life still in her eyes. “Are there more men for us to worry about?”

She swallowed, then nodded. “Y-yes. I think there were -” her eyes darted over to count the bodies. “Four more. I heard them say they were going to get supplies. That was...three days ago.”

Shikamaru internally swore - the closest village was a half day away. They’d be returning soon. He pointed to two other relatively healthy girls.

“You and you. Go inside, see if you can find something to cover your feet with and any supplies,” Shikamaru said.

When they hesitated, he took a step forward, feeling like an asshole for using intimidation on already traumatized civilians but aware of the potential consequences. Anybody who guessed they weren’t members of Haoru would have to be killed - this mission was too high stakes for anything else. They scrambled to their feet and stumbled back inside.

Shikamaru felt a brush of fingers against his wrist, and then light tapping as Hinata communicated that there were four incoming targets. He frowned when her tapping revealed that they were fifteen kilometers away, moving at a rapid pace for civilians.

They would need to be taken out, but it was best if it didn’t happen in front of the women so that they could use chakra without fear of discovery. Another couple of taps, and his brow furrowed beneath his hood.

_I stay and clean up; then ambush._

He tapped back a negative on her wrist, and her reply was fast.

_Combat specialist._

He resisted the urge to curse and ruin his stoic assassin-like demeanor. Hinata was right. Part of the reason he’d chosen her for this mission was that she was a talented close-range combat type. So why was he hesitating? Four civilians would be a piece of cake for her, especially if he got the witnesses away so she could use her clan style.

Instead of responding directly to her, he turned his attention back towards the women. The two he had sent inside came out with armfuls of water, food, and bandages. Without needing to be asked, they started wrapping the bandages around their feet and handing more off to the others.

It was quiet for the next ten minutes other than the sounds of whispered encouragements and crying coming from the women. Hinata was a stiff presence at his back, and he knew it was probably deeply disturbing for her not to offer comfort and first aid.

“Time to go,” he said and the woman whom he’d spoken to earlier moved to the last girl without coverings on her feet, wrapping them quickly as the others stood.

She then helped her stand, ignoring him as he stood over them in an attempt to get them to hurry.

“Kiku,” he said, which was Hinata’s agreed upon code name. “You stay behind and guard our backs. Catch up when you’re done.”

Hinata had turned to face him and he was struck by how unrecognizable she was in her skintight jumpsuit with its neat row of daggers across her waist and her hair and most of her face hidden beneath her cowl. She nodded her head, once, and he knew that she would wait until they were gone, then go and intercept the men as they headed back to their hideout. She would also deal with burning the bodies to hide any evidence that could lead to somebody thinking they were shinobi.

He turned, keeping his head lowered so his face would stay in shadow, and motioned for the women to start walking in the direction of the village. The skin on the back of his neck was itching, and he knew it was discomfort with leaving Hinata behind to take care of the enemy.

Which was absurd. She was a highly trained, deadly member of Konoha’s elite forces. He wouldn’t think twice if it were Ino or Chouji. Perhaps he was still off balance from their argument. Either way, he had to get over it so that he could focus on doing his part.

He forced himself not to look back at Hinata, who had started dragging the bodies back into the hideout. A few minutes later smoke rose from the spot where the old building used to be and he gritted his teeth. Shikamaru just had to trust that Hinata could handle herself.

He shook his head slightly at his anxiety and turned his attention to the mission. He’d try to figure out why he was acting so strangely around Hinata later when he didn’t have civilians to deliver to medics and international criminal organizations to topple. 

Yep. Just another day in his not-at-all average life as a Konoha shinobi.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru and Hinata run into a small problem that threatens to destroy their carefully laid plans.

The next six hours were awful. Shikamaru had to push fourteen exhausted, traumatized women to walk across a hot desert without shoes or more covering than their nightgowns. They couldn’t take more than a five-minute break every hour, and he had his hands full forcing them to conserve their water. 

His disguise required that he remain impassive in the face of their pain. While usually, he didn’t care one way or another if somebody liked him, seeing the girl who had become the de facto leader of the group of women, Aoi, look at him like he was just another monster made him feel like the worst kind of person.

On top of that, Hinata still hadn’t appeared. It shouldn’t have taken her longer than two hours to intercept the men, kill them, burn their bodies, and then run back to them. Something must have gone wrong, but he couldn’t go back and check on her until he delivered the women to the village.

By the time the village came into sight, his jumpsuit was sticking to him and chafing against his skin. He had concluded that Haoru agents looked so solemn and intimidating because they were in a constant state of discomfort from their outfits, and not because they were just that badass.

The ‘hospital’ turned out to be a small, two-room clinic fashioned out of mud and manned by two medics from Suna. Shikamaru motioned for the women to wait outside, and when Aoi opened her mouth to argue, he replied in the same low growl he’d been using with them all day. “I’m checking for threats.”

None of them were happy about spending even a second more in the hot, pounding rays of the late afternoon sun, but they didn’t try to follow him when he stepped inside without them.

The two medics sitting behind the counter took in his garb and immediately fell into defensive stances. Smart men.

“The Red Water Bird Burns at Midnight,” Shikamaru said.

One of the medics, a blonde man with dark brown eyes and a jagged scar down one cheek, tilted his head to study him before relaxing and signaling the all clear to the other. 

“Didn’t realize we were using Haoru. Thank you. We’ll take it from here if you want to bring them inside. Do we need to worry about attacks?”

Shikamaru hesitated before saying, “Unclear. My partner went to take out the rest of the captors. If she didn’t handle it, I will.” God, he hoped she was okay.

The two exchanged looks before nodding their understanding. Shikamaru opened the door and motioned the women inside.

They took in the exhausted, sunburnt, bruised women with expressions of horror, and he slipped out the door as they descended upon them with medic bags and soft words. Then he turned back the way he came, ignoring the fatigue pulling at him, and forced himself into a civilian-fast run.

He had just crested the ridge of a tall dune and was preparing to increase to a shinobi pace as he came down the other side, out of sight of the town, when a figure appeared at the bottom. Sand sprayed around him as he skidded to a stop, and relief hit him hard. It was Hinata.

“Thank god,” he breathed.

“Shikamaru,” she said, voice strained from under her hood. 

That was when he noticed the wet stain that started just below her ribs and expanded to her hip. She had one hand clamped to her side, green chakra sputtering in and out as though she was having trouble keeping hold of it, and she was swaying in place. Both of her bare hands were covered in blood.

He raced down the rest of the hill to her side and put an arm around her shoulders, helping her lower to the ground. Her breath was coming in small pants, and he pulled out the scroll from under his cowl that was holding their first aid supplies.

“What happened?” he asked.

“Two of them were samurai, or something similar,” she said. “One of them was able to get past my guard using iaid ō . I dodged to prevent a fatal blow, but couldn’t evade completely. Clean stab, about three inches deep. I took care of the internal bleeding, but I’m low on chakra and lost a lot of blood,” she said, voice steady and calm despite being tense with pain. 

He swore and pulled out some antibacterial cream that was made by his clan’s medical lab. It also assisted in stopping blood flow, though this wound was far beyond its capabilities. He could only hope it would help Hinata with the healing she’d already started. 

He gently wiped at the sluggishly-bleeding wound, and Hinata’s bloody hand tightened on his arm, but otherwise, she didn’t react.

“I killed them and identified one of the samurai-like enemies as the leader you were looking for. Sorry, Shikamaru-taicho,” she said, voice low and miserable and overly formal. “I underestimated the enemy and was injured as a result. I promise I won’t let this slow me down. We’ll make it back to Suna on time.”

“I’m the one who should be sorry,” he snapped, then took a deep breath when she flinched and opened the tube. “I’m the one who created the reports and profiles on Ketsueki. I had no idea that there was anything other than civilian-level criminals involved.  _ Dammit,  _ I should have listened to my gut and not sent you alone.”

His fingers were steady as he pressed the ointment into her wound, and his lips pressed together when she made a small gasp of pain. With fast movements, because they were cutting it close if they wanted to make it back to Suna, he wrapped a length of bandage around her torso.

“Do you have any blood replenishing pills?” she asked, and he reached into the kit and handed her one without speaking.

She wrinkled her nose in distaste after biting down on it, but after thirty seconds her cheeks started to gain color. He held up a chakra pill in question, and she shook her head. 

“They make me lightheaded; I won’t be able to run.” He didn’t argue, instead choosing to file that away to remember in the future.

“Can you stand?” he asked, and she nodded, resolute.

Shikamaru helped her to her feet and was impressed when she didn’t sway or complain. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and put her hand back over the bandage. 

“I just need to make sure it doesn’t break back open while we run,” she explained when she saw his face. “I won’t use much chakra, I promise.”

A moment later the glow around her hand faded, and she took a deep breath and met his eyes.

“Let’s go.”

He wrapped one of her arms around his shoulders, ignoring her soft protests, and put a hand on her waist. Then, they ran.

The less Shikamaru remembered about their dash through the desert, the better. He’d been in worse situations, but the way Hinata kept pushing herself despite the tremors he could feel in her body, her soft pants of pain, and the blood that started to seep back through her bandage a few hours later combined to make the whole situation hellish. 

Shikamaru wasn’t used to coming across problems he couldn’t solve, but in their situation the only thing they could do was press on. They both knew he was too exhausted from the past few days to carry her on his back and still keep up the speed they needed to reach Suna on time. 

They took a small break when the sun set, and he sat her down on - surprise - more sand, and redressed her wound. His own hands were shaking with fatigue, but neither of them mentioned it.

“I’m sorry,” he said gruffly, and her eyes, still mostly hidden in shadow and the face paint that was starting to thin and rub off in places, darted up so she could look at him.

“I already told you, Shikamaru-san, that it wasn’t your fault. There was no way to know from their dress or actions that they were samurai -”

“No, not for that. Though you’re wrong. Now that I think back on it there were small clues in the intel - never mind. We’ll talk about that later.” 

He closed his eyes, annoyed at the way his thoughts were skittering away from him. How long had it been since they slept? Close to two days, and then only for a few hours. 

“I’m sorry for what I said, before, about Naruto not loving you. I’m just...” he shook his head as he applied more ointment, relieved that the wound didn’t seem to be developing an infection, thanks to Hinata’s healing efforts and his own clan’s recipe.

“Seeing Temari again has me off my game,” he bit out, annoyed because it was true. “That’s no excuse, and I’ll be writing Kakashi-sama to ask him to send a replacement -”

“No,” she said, and a light touch to his arm had him looking up at her warm smile. 

“You’re doing fine, Shikamaru,” she said. “Nobody else could have even found those poor women. It’s okay not to be perfect all the time. None of us are. And - and you were right. Your situation is different.”

She winced as he started wrapping her torso with fresh bandages, but continued talking. “When it became clear that Naruto could never love me in the way I loved him...that I couldn’t make him happy...”

She trailed off, and he opened his mouth to tell her she didn’t have to talk about it, but she continued over him.

“It was easier to let go after that. When you love somebody, you want them to be happy. Temari-san...she still loves you, doesn’t she? That must make it very difficult to move on.”

Shikamaru sat back on his heels, a little stunned by her straightforward yet spot-on summary of the situation. “Yeah,” he said, voice gruff. “That did make it difficult. But seeing her engaged to somebody else, even if it’s political...well, that put some things into perspective. Still sucks, but I don’t think I’d want to get back together, even if she asked.”

Hinata just reached out and patted his hand, then stood. She didn’t try to heal herself, and he assumed it was because she had run her chakra down to critical levels. Still, she didn’t complain as they ran through the night.

Shikamaru’s body felt heavy and sore, and the horrible Haoru ensemble was chaffing in all the wrong places. He knew it all had to be ten times worse for Hinata, but she remained silent at his side, doing her best not to put too much of her weight on him. He was once again struck by how lucky it was that his thoughts landed on her while trying to choose his partner for this cluster of a mission.

A pink tinge was growing on the horizon when they reached the entrance to the cave. Hinata was starting to trip and fumble by that point, and it was all Shikamaru could do to keep them both on their feet. She had to put her hand on his shoulder to keep from falling when she activated her Byakugan.

“Clear,” she said, voice gravely and slurred.

He stepped forward and placed his hand where he’d seen her touch on their way out. It felt like a week ago instead of two days. He pulsed chakra into it, then stepped back, putting his arm back around her waist as the giant rock scraped to the side to reveal the opening.

He was practically carrying her at that point, though she was doing her best to move her feet on her own. “Hinata. Show me how to close this. Can you do that?”

It took her a few seconds, but she nodded, then lifted her finger and pointed to an innocuous spot on the wall. He quickly pulsed chakra into it and let out a breath of relief when the entrance closed, leaving them in darkness.

He didn’t ask her to lead the way with her Byakugan, instead piloting them through the passage by memory, running the fingers of the hand that was not occupied keeping Hinata upright along the wall. It seemed to take twice as long to get to the spot that led up into their rooms as it had to leave it behind. 

He was tired enough that he was almost worried he had come to the wrong place when it remained shut for a few long seconds. Then something brushed his cheek in the dark, and he jerked back before he realized it was sand. Hinata didn’t react from where she was leaning heavily against him, not even when the hatch opened above them.

Shikamaru squinted against the dim lighting, and when his eyes adjusted Gaara was looking down at them. He took them in, eyes lingering on Hinata, and Shikamaru was more thankful than he’d like to admit when they were lifted through the opening by a platform of sand.

“What happened?” Gaara asked, reaching out to take Hinata from him. 

“Turns out they aren’t all as civilian-grade as we thought,” Shikamaru said, collapsing on the couch and watching as Gaara laid her down on the other one. 

The hood of her cowl had fallen back, and Shikamaru studied her. Her face was pale, and her eyes were closed, but she was breathing steadily.

Gaara’s eyes darted to him, a frown line forming between his brows. “Ah. That is...unfortunate.”

Shikamaru snorted as Gaara began unwinding the bandage around Hinata’s ribs with efficient movements. Shikamaru leaned forward when her wound was revealed. Gaara pushed the sliced edges of the fabric aside. The injury still looked like it hurt like hell, but the bleeding had slowed considerably and was still showing no signs of infection.

“Perhaps I should get a medic -”

“No,” Hinata said, and one of her hands lifted to grasp Gaara’s wrist. 

Her eyes had opened, and Shikamaru was relieved when they looked clear, though her lids were heavy with exhaustion.

“That would jeopardize the mission. I - I just need to rest. Then I can take care of it.”

Gaara hesitated, and Hinata turned her head to send Shikamaru a pleading glance. He sighed and ran a hand down his face, wishing he could just sleep instead of making more decisions.

“Hinata,” he said, using the voice of a commander, and her gaze sharpened in response. “As a medic, do you believe you’ll recover if we allow you to rest without a fresh medic on hand?”

To her credit, she took a moment to think about it. Then, she nodded. “Y-yes. There is no internal bleeding, and the wound isn’t showing signs of infection. The bleeding has mostly stopped. I just need...water. And something with sugar.”

Gaara’s sand floated over to the kitchen, then returned with the requested items. He helped Hinata sit up, and she slowly started drinking the water and eating the fruit as he accepted the first aid kit from Shikamaru so he could redress her wound.

“You should eat and drink too, Shikamaru,” she said between bites. 

His stomach roiled at the thought, but her gaze was so imploring that he took a large bite of an apple without complaint. A few minutes later she was asleep on the couch, rebandaged, a half-eaten orange in one hand.

Gaara’s lip twitched up as he plucked the orange from her palm and set it on the table. He then turned to Shikamaru and tilted his head to the side as he took him in.

“I can push the meetings back until ten. That gives you six hours to recover. Any longer and we’ll risk bringing suspicion upon us.”

Shikamaru just waved him away. That was long enough. It would have to be. He laid down on the couch, too tired to go into his room or take off the horrible clothing.

He thought it said something about Konoha’s relationship with Suna when he fell asleep before Gaara even left the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Shikamaru attend diplomatic meetings while attempting to look like they weren't out all night toppling criminal bases. On top of that, Hinata and Temari have an Awkward Conversation.

Hinata opened gummy eyes much earlier than she would have preferred. They focused on the person responsible for rousing her and the tension that had hit her upon waking up in an unfamiliar place, exhausted and injured, faded.

Shikamaru was pale and had dark bags that created furrows beneath his eyes. He was freshly showered and in his usual black shirt and pants with a flak jacket over the top. His hair was back and his earrings, which he’d taken out for their mission, were glowing in the late morning light. Her eyes widened as she realized how late it was and she sat up too quickly for her injured side. 

“Easy,” he said when she doubled over, and put a hand on her shoulder. “Gaara pushed the meeting back a few hours, but we have to be there in about an hour.”

Hinata ran fingers across her eyes and wrinkled her nose when they came away covered in paint. “Ick,” she muttered and he snorted.

“Do you need help with...” he motioned to the outfit that she’d learned to hate with a passion in the past two days. 

She frowned in confusion before realization hit, and for some reason, her cheeks warmed. Silly, since after years of taking missions she had certainly undressed in front of multiple shinobi and kunoichi, and as a medic seen a lot of naked skin. Kiba and Shino had seen her fully naked and vice versa - on one embarrassing occasion they’d had to bathe her and tuck her into bed after she was covered in a sticky contact-poison on a mission.

Still, for some reason the thought of Shikamaru helping her undress and shower made her feel flustered. Hinata acknowledged that it might have something to do with the way the Haoru disguise had hugged his slim body and highlighted his dangerous, languorous movements in a way his usual clothes did not.

“Oh, no thank you, Shikamaru. I can do it.”

“Alright.” He cleared his throat, one hand going up to rub the back of his neck.

He didn’t ask if she’d be able to handle the meetings, or if he needed to cover for her. It made something in her chest warm, the way he treated her as an equal. Her teammates and Naruto still, in some ways, saw her as the meek, terrified girl she had been as a child instead of the confident kunoichi she liked to believe she had become.

Her kind nature and soft-spoken way of comporting herself tended to confuse people, but Hinata knew the truth. She was strong and could take much more than most people assumed. Shikamaru, with his sharp eyes and overwhelming intellect, had not missed it.

Hinata shuffled into the bathroom connected to her room. She peeled herself out of the (torture device) jumpsuit and cowl, bundling them up and shoving them into the bottom of her bag to clean and repair later. The warm water felt amazing against her dirty and irritated skin, and she washed twice as she did a mental inventory of her condition.

Her wound could be worse, despite the pain of it. The real issue had been blood loss on top of her exhaustion from the effort she’d had to expend to defeat the two samurais. Though now that she thought back on their movements and demeanor, she wasn’t even sure that they had actually been samurai. At least not as she knew them from the war, where she’d fought beside them.

Her chakra levels had recovered enough that she could sit on the lid of the toilet and spend some time knitting the flesh back together. She’d need to be careful for the next week or so, but that shouldn’t be a problem since they’d be attending diplomatic meetings.

If she could make it through this day without collapsing she would sleep through the night and be much improved the next morning. She knew Shikamaru was in a similar position so after she’d bandaged over what was left of her wound and dressed in her shorts and kimono shirt, she called for him.

He shuffled around the corner of her room and relaxed when he took in her mostly dressed appearance.

“Can you, um.” She held up her obi and his face cleared in understanding. She didn’t think she’d be able to twist her torso the way she usually did to tie it in place without tearing the soft new skin around her wound.

“I’ve never tied one of these,” he admitted, and her lips turned up on one side.

“I’m sure someone as clever as you will be able to figure it out, Shikamaru-kun,” she said, tone light, and he chuckled before taking the material from her hands.

She turned towards the mirror and he moved up behind her. She giggled when he just stood there, staring down at the fabric in his hands with a bewildered expression on his face.

She took pity on him. “Put one end over my shoulder, then start wrapping the other around my waist, just here.” She pointed below her bustline. He did as he was told, and she could feel the warmth of him against her back as he reached around her.

“So. Samurai?” he prompted, and she pulled her eyes from where they were watching his hands in the mirror, surprisingly delicate for a shinobi’s, as they smoothed and tugged on the fabric. 

“Yes. I don’t believe they were trained in the Land of Iron, but the way they used chakra to enhance their sword and its reach, and their use of iaido...”

He hummed his understanding. “Too tight?” he asked, and she met his eyes in the mirror before shaking her head.

“It’s fine. Their clothing was different, too. They weren’t wearing the plated armor that samurai do. It was padded leather.”

“Interesting,” he murmured. 

“Their swords were a different shape. More curved. Their hair was red, and they had fair skin. Not red like Gaara’s, though. Lighter, almost orangish blonde, really.”

He nodded, then paused when she laid a hand on his wrist to stop movement when she noted how close he was to being out of fabric. She pulled the material off her shoulder and he watched closely as she folded it precisely and handed it back to him.

“Do the same with the other end, then tie it,” she explained. “You know how to do the knot?”

“I think so,” he said. “I’ve seen my mom do that part a few times.”

“Where do you think they were trained?” Hinata asked, and Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed even as he worked on the tie in the back.

“Honestly? It sounds similar to the reports we’ve been getting from Gaara about the attacks they’re fending off from the Westerners.”

Hinata’s eyes widened. “You mean -”

“Yeah. They might be related. Which means we’ve got a serious problem.”

He met her eyes in the mirror, grim, and she pursed her lips and folded her hands in front of her, straightening her shoulders and lifting her chin. “Then I suppose we’d better not fail.”

His sharp grin and nod sent a surge of confidence through her.  _ We can do this,  _ she thought.  _ We can really do this. _

“Go sit on the bed,” she said after she checked his work in the mirror. Like everything else he put effort into, it looked perfect.

He hesitated and she blushed when she realized what she’d just said. “I’m going to cover up the bags under your eyes,” she rushed to explain, motioning at her own face, which looked a lot less ‘dying-chick’ than it had before she spent time applying cover-up and blush.

He raised an eyebrow, but unlike Kiba, didn’t complain about the idea of wearing makeup. Of course, he usually wore liner beneath his eyes, though she assumed that was more about adding to the image of a deadly apathetic assassin than any sort of nod to his feminine side.

She applied the cover up under his eyes with efficient movements, not bothering to put it anywhere else as the color was a little light for him. A bit of tint to his cheeks, and he looked more like his usual level of sleepiness instead of on the verge of true exhaustion.

Any lingering paleness could be explained away by his recent illness, so she didn’t stress over it. “There,” she said, leaning back in satisfaction.

Her smile faltered when she saw the way his eyes were focused on her face, brow furrowed, as though he’d just realized something about her and wasn’t sure what to think about it. She cleared her throat and busied herself with putting her cosmetics back in her case. She grabbed two fresh thigh-highs from her bag and sat next to him. She concentrated on scrunching the fabric up so that the toes of stocking were pushed up next to the opening, trying to ignore the fact that his eyes were still on her.

When she attempted to bend down and pull her leg up, she was brought up short by the feeling of her healing flesh protesting. She winced, then stared down at the fabric in her hands, gaze flitting between her foot and the offending garment. Hinata realized she was more tired than she originally thought when this newest hurdle made her want to flop backward and have a good cry.

Then Shikamaru was kneeling in front of her and reaching for the stocking. “Here,” he said, voice gruff, “let me.”

She let him take the stocking from suddenly-limp fingers and bit her lip when he lifted one leg, hand warm around her calf. Once he was sure she’d keep it in the air, he brought up the stocking and slipped it over her foot. Hinata swallowed at the feeling of his fingers brushing across her skin, olive contrasting against white.

His shoulders stretched the fabric of his shirt where she could see it before it disappeared behind his flak jacket. She knew from braiding it before they left that his hair was soft and thick, and she caught a whiff of a musky, spicy scent. Her stomach tightened and she realized with some surprise as he tugged the stocking up her leg, fingers trailing across the soft skin of her inner thigh as he straightened the top, that what she was feeling was  _ attraction. _

It was normal, of course, for ninja to become physically attracted to each other while on long-term missions. It wasn’t frowned upon to have dalliances, as long as the mission was unaffected by it. Hinata, however, had never experienced that sort of passing interest herself. For a long time, there was only Naruto for her, and then after...the one other person she’d been with had been, in short, a disaster. 

She had been so put off by the opposite sex as a result that this was the first time she’d felt even an inkling of want for somebody since. Shikamaru glanced up at her just as her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and she felt herself flush when his eyes lingered there.

“The other one?” he asked and she jolted, then shoved the piece of clothing into his hands, embarrassment making her whole body warm.

He ducked his head, but not before she saw a small, satisfied smile on his face. She narrowed her eyes. Was he making fun of her? She supposed it  _ was  _ a little ridiculous. Everybody knew that Nara men liked their women to be loud and brash - in fact, she once heard her father say it was nature’s way of making sure the clan didn’t die out. 

He’d said that Nara men, if left to their own devices, might not find procreation worth the bother, and they needed extremely strong-willed partners to keep the line going. She had never figured out if he’d been joking.

Either way, Hinata didn’t fit into any of those categories. She prided herself on her self-containment and generally gracious nature, as it made her feel closer to her mother, who she felt great admiration for even so many years after her death.

Hinata shook her head, firmly telling her body that now was  _ not  _ the time to rediscover her libido. His gentle touches as he pulled on the second stocking, however, made it difficult to take her own words seriously. Shikamaru was a handsome man, all slim lines, and dark indolence. She thought that most women would probably find themselves reacting with interest in her position.

When he finished with perhaps more lingering at the end than she thought really necessary - they felt straight enough to her - she let out a low breath of relief. From the twitch of his mouth, she thought it might not have been as soundless as she thought.

They’d just finished eating a filling breakfast of cool porridge with honey and fruit when there was a knock on the door. Hinata stood, feeling much better for the nutrients and the physical space from her mission partner, but Shikamaru was already answering the door.

It was Temari again, and Hinata decided to have a private conversation with Gaara about Suna’s apparent lack of consideration for the feelings of an important ally. Some of her thoughts must have shown on her face because Temari’s lips pressed together. “I’m sorry for the delay - Gaara had something he had to take care of.”

“It’s no problem, Temari-san,” Hinata said politely and moved to walk between her and Shikamaru as they exited the building.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her but didn’t say anything, instead putting his hands in his pockets and slouching his shoulders. Hinata was thankful that she generally had good posture since if she stooped over at all her wound, which was already sending waves of pain through her side, would have made itself even more known.

“You look like you’re feeling better,” Temari said after a few minutes of awkward silence.

Shikamaru glanced over at her and shrugged. “Yeah. Hinata took good care of me.”

Hinata’s traitorous cheeks warmed at that, even though she was pretty sure he hadn’t _meant_ to sound so suggestive. She really needed to get ahold of herself. Temari’s eyes were darting between them now, brow furrowed, and Hinata just kept her expression serene and her chin raised, hoping that Temari would assume the heat of the sun was behind the redness in her cheeks.

“As the medic on the team, it was my duty to make sure you recovered,” she said, and couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed when he just sent her what could only be described as a smug expression and she realized he was trying to rile Temari up.

She pressed her lips together and pointedly turned away from him. “The last time we spoke, Temari-san, you were commissioning a new battle fan. I don’t believe you’ve shown it to me.”

As Temari brightened and began to talk about her new weapon, which she didn’t have with her but promised she would bring the next day, Hinata didn’t look over at Shikamaru once. By the time they arrived at the meeting room he was tense, though he was trying to cover it, and kept glancing at her from the corner of his eyes.

Temari entered the room ahead of them, and Riku smiled from his seat across the large table and waved at her. She murmured a goodbye before heading over to sit with him. Hinata stepped forward to follow her but was stopped by a hand on her arm. When she looked over, Shikamaru was staring at her, frustration evident.

“What did I do?” he asked in a low voice that wouldn’t carry. Hinata glanced around but didn’t see anybody close to them. She looked down at her feet.

“You shouldn’t use me to upset Temari-san,” she finally said. “It’s - it wasn’t -”

“What?” When she darted her gaze to his face he looked honestly confused. After a moment of thought, his expression cleared and then went sheepish.

“That’s not what I was trying to do. I was just...teasing you. Sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have.”

Hinata blinked at him as he brought a hand up to rub at the back of his neck. It wasn’t like him to be so flustered. Then it hit her. Shikamaru  _ had _ been flirting with her, but not because he was trying to get to Temari.

“Oh. Um. That - that’s fine. I’m sorry I misunderstood.” 

The awkward moment was broken when Gaara called her name. She looked over and willed herself to look calm when she saw everybody’s eyes on them, expectant.

“Sorry,” she said and smiled. “I was just making sure Shikamaru-san is still feeling alright after the walk here. I hope everybody else is recovered?”

She stepped into the room and was relieved when everybody answered in the affirmative. She hadn’t been completely comfortable with agreeing to poison their allies to create a window for their mission, but she knew it was necessary. Shikamaru sent her an amused look as the elderly woman with a passion for entomology exclaimed over her caring nature and once again brought up her grandson before Gaara was able to pull their attention back to the meeting.

By the time they broke for lunch, Hinata was having trouble keeping her fatigue and discomfort from showing. She made her way directly to the table that was laid out with piles of food and had just taken a bite of a juicy strawberry when she saw Shikamaru step out onto one of the five balconies lining the far wall.

She assumed he was hoping fresh air would assist in waking him up, and thought it was probably a good idea. She piled some extra sandwiches on her plate to share with him, then headed for the door he’d disappeared through.

Hinata wasn’t the only one who had noticed him slip out. Temari had disengaged from an enthusiastic conversation between Riku and a short, dour man and was also heading for the balcony.

Hinata remembered the way Shikamaru leaned against the door the night they’d left, miserable, lips smeared with Temari’s lipstick, and felt a surge of protectiveness. Before she could think about what she was doing, she stepped in front of Temari, smile in place.

“Temari-san. I’m not trying to be rude, but I was hoping for a moment alone with my partner to go over some details of the mission sharing program before this afternoon. Do you mind?”

Temari was an intelligent woman and had been trained in the double-speak of politics and the art of redirection from as young an age as Hinata. She wasn’t fooled, though Hinata hadn’t really expected her to be. Her eyes narrowed and she gave Hinata the sort of up and down look that women tended to utilize right before tearing someone apart.

“Actually, Hinata-san, I have an urgent matter to discuss with him. It will take only a moment -” she went to step around Hinata, who tilted her head to the side and softened her smile as she smoothly cut her off.

“Temari-san. Now is not the time. He’s still recovering from his illness. Perhaps later -”

“Hinata, let’s cut the crap. You’re trying to protect him, I get it. But this really isn’t any of your business, especially since I know the two of you have never been close.”

Hinata’s smile faltered as she studied Temari. A casual look around showed that nobody was paying attention to them, though she was sure Gaara wasn’t unaware of what was happening. They were close to the balcony doors, far enough away from the food that there was plenty of space between them and the rest of the room.

“You’re right that we haven’t been close these past few years,” she said, undeterred, and Temari actually looked a little surprised that Hinata hadn’t backed down. She underestimated her. Hinata never conceded a fight when somebody she cared about was in danger - physical or otherwise.

“However, I have known Shikamaru for a very long time. He may at times describe himself as a coward, but I have always known that he will sacrifice a lot - including his own happiness - for those he cares for.” Hinata met Temari’s eyes, which had widened. “Right now, seeing you hurts him, but if he thinks it’s what you need he won’t tell you to stop. So I’m asking you for him. Give him some time to heal and then say what you need to.”

Their gazes locked and for a long breath, they were two kunoichi sizing up a potential threat. Then Temari sighed and the tension drained from her shoulders.

“I just want to know why,” she said and looked to the side.

Hinata stepped closer, reaching out with her free hand to lay it on the other girl’s arm, the only comfort she could offer in a room full of shinobi. “Why what?” she asked in a low voice.

“Why he didn’t - didn’t fight for me. I know it was messed up when I broke it off without talking to him, but I thought he loved me. I thought he’d come for me anyway.”

Hinata blinked at her. “Well, I don’t know all the details, Temari-san, but I think if he didn’t come for you, it’s because he thought it was what would make you happiest. Like I said, he would do anything for the people he loves.”

Temari’s eyes widened and Hinata patted her arm before letting her hand drop to her side. Then she turned and walked out to the balcony. Shikamaru was leaning against the railing where there was still some shade holding out against the sun. He was smoking a cigarette and watching her closely. She wrinkled her nose and he dropped the cigarette on the ground and put it out without a word.

“Here, I brought you some food,” she said. “You should eat.”

He made a vague noise of agreement and she moved to stand next to him, closer than she usually would to stay out of the sun. He moved over to give her more room as he grabbed a sandwich, and she smiled at him.

“You make me sound a lot nobler than I am,” he said after he swallowed a bite, and her eyes widened.

“You - you heard that?”

“I did. And you were only partially right.”

Hinata watched as he ate, thinking through what he’d said. 

“I think,” she said, “that I’m probably more right than you believe. If you thought she’d be happier leaving Suna and marrying you, I bet you would have fought. No matter how angry you were.”

He stared at her, visibly taken off guard, and she simply picked up one of the sandwiches, set the plate down on the railing, and took a large bite. As far as she was concerned they couldn’t get out of Suna fast enough.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Shikamaru leave Suna behind and embark on the next stage of their mission. There may or may not be water fights involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anybody who is curious, I'm using [this map](https://xshadowrebirthx.deviantart.com/art/Elemental-Nations-Political-Map-317422394) by xshadowrebirthx on DeviantArt as a reference when describing where all the countries are located in this story.

They left Suna a week and a half later. 

In the end, Konoha had agreed to send a few squads to help the Land of Wind hold their border. Gaara had told them that Iwa and Cloud were sending some shinobi, as well. Iwa because Earth was one of the next stops for the Westerners if Sand didn’t hold firm, and Cloud most likely due to the upcoming marriage of Temari and Riku, though he was tactful enough not to spell it out.

Gaara also admitted, after Hinata described the two samurai-like opponents she’d faced, that he had gotten reports detailing people with similar abilities trying to slip into Wind from the western border. “I apologize. I have, of course, shared this with the other kage, but we all agreed to keep it fairly quiet until we know more. If I had any idea that Ketsueki was related I would have divulged the information.”

Shikamaru looked unimpressed with his apology and grumbled about people expecting him to do his job without all the information. They’d poured back over all the reports, and now that he knew what he was looking for it was easy to see the patterns that indicated there were more than just civilians behind the criminal organization.

Most of his annoyance was still centered inward, Hinata knew. Every time he caught her with a greenlit hand on her side his face would twist and he’d end up sulking and pulling out his maps or reports in a huff. While she wished he wouldn’t blame himself she found his concern and subsequent grumpy nature adorable.

In fact, she’d been finding a lot of his quirks and habits charming, and her heartbeat kept picking up every time he was close. It was difficult to concentrate when there were butterflies in her stomach, but no matter how many firm lectures she gave herself she continued to feel drawn in by him.

She had thought that perhaps it had been too long since she’d gotten any physical pleasure, and had, after some debate, brought herself to orgasm one night with her own hands. Frustratingly enough it was the memory of him in those horrible jumpsuits that had her finally falling over the edge. 

The next morning she’d blushed immediately upon seeing him. He’d studied her closely for a long moment before looking away and asking if she wanted more honey. Though she’d been careful to stay silent, hiding her cries at the end in her pillow, she couldn’t help but feel a little paranoid. There was no way he could know what she’d done the night before, or what she’d been thinking of while she did it. Could he?

Despite her embarrassment and nerves, however, she found herself doing it again that night, unable to quite get the image of him out of her mind. Hinata decided it was all a result of her pushing her physical needs to the side for so long. Now that she was in close proximity to an attractive man whom she also respected and felt friendly towards that part of her was coming to the forefront. 

She felt like she was fifteen all over again, obsessing over a boy who didn’t even see her. It would be awful except for the fact that Shikamaru  _ did  _ see her. He was constantly praising her in his lazy, idle way on her skills in diplomacy along with her ability to at least understand what he was talking about when they were discussing the network of Ketsueki.

They had decided there their next step would be heading to a port city in Wind called Kabu and catch a boat to Tea Country from there. They’d then cross the small peninsula on foot, taking out one of the smaller bases that Shikamaru had identified on the way before catching another boat to Water Country.

From the outside, it looked as though they were just taking a more direct route to their next destination instead of crossing two large countries. Of course, if somebody knew where to look they could probably connect the two of them to the takedowns, but it would be difficult to prove. Especially since they weren’t advertising their travel route and had decided to stick to the wilds instead of the roads.

Temari took Hinata’s words to heart and didn’t speak to Shikamaru again except where it was required in meetings, and to say goodbye. She and Shikamaru had a short, murmured conversation out of Hinata’s earshot at the gates. There was no yelling this time, though Temari was looking down at the ground and Shikamaru was quiet for a long while after they left.

They kept their pace moderate for the first part of the journey. The first night after leaving Sand they camped at an oasis that Gaara had given them the coordinates to. It was beautiful, with a large, clear pool that was lined by ferns and tall palm trees. There were also flowering plants scattered throughout the area, and she kept catching glimpses of wildlife.

The first thing Hinata did after they arrived was take off her shoes and walk out onto the surface of the pond. She'd missed water, the way she always did after long stretches in the desert. Shikamaru’s back was to her and he was smoking one of his cigarettes, something he only seemed to do when stressed. Hinata bit her lip, then fed chakra into the water around her. She flicked her wrist and a small wave of it grew from her feet, then lifted and splashed over the unsuspecting man.

He cringed and let out a small, strangled gasp. His cigarette fell from his fingers to the sand, and she noticed with satisfaction that her water had put it out. He then turned slowly towards her, and she had to press her lips together to hide her smile.

He looked very much like a cat that had just been unexpectedly splashed with water. His face was pulled into a scowl and bits of his hair had come out of its tail and were now dripping water down his neck. Most of his front had been spared since he’d been facing away from her, but when he took a step forward his sandal made a squelching noise. She giggled, then slapped the hand over her mouth to stop the sound. 

“Thank that’s funny?” His eyes were glinting and his voice was low, and she shook her head frantically. His eyes narrowed on her, and she took an involuntary step back.

“You know, Hinata,” he said, stalking forward as she continued to move back until she was in the middle of the pond and he was standing on the surface a few feet from shore, “you aren’t the only one who can do water jutsu.”

She shrieked when the water in front of her burst up into a spout, jumping backward and avoiding the worst of it. Shikamaru just took another step forward and a column of water came out of the surface next to her.

She turned and ran, bringing her own hands up in a sign. Three balls of water came up around her and sped towards him. His eyes widened and he darted to the side even as Hinata ran face first into a wall of water. She sputtered as she came out of the other side, stumbling and laughing, the cool water feeling wonderful after running through the hot desert all day.

She pushed more chakra into the water around them, and when Shikamaru’s foot landed in a certain spot tugged down so that there was nothing there where he had expected surface. When he stumbled she sent a geyser of water up into his face, and couldn’t stop her peal of laughter at the look of disbelief he sent her through the water still dripping into his eyes.

The next ten minutes were spent dashing across the surface of the pond, each of them attempting to spray, splash, or submerge the other. By the time Hinata gasped out her surrender she was soaked through and breathless with mirth. Shikamaru was smiling, his teeth a flash of white, and he wasn’t any drier than she was.

“I can’t believe you splashed me,” he grumbled as they slogged back over to set up camp. 

“You were brooding,” she said, unflappable in the face of his grumping. She had grown up with Neji, after all, he’d have to try a lot harder than that to unnerve her with a sour attitude.

He sent her an incredulous look. “Flower crowns, unsolicited face cleanings, and splashing. You have some strange ways of telling a person to cheer up, woman.”

Hinata felt light and bubbly, and her laughter came easily to her. He watched, lips quirked up, as she collapsed into giggles. She hadn’t felt like this since...well since she got drunk with Sakura and Ino the last time they’d found a moment for a girl’s night.

There was just something about his baffled expression that made her lips turn up at the sides. Possibly it was because it was such a rare emotion for him to show. Or maybe she just thought it was adorable. She cut off that line of thought, however, in favor of standing to help him set up camp.

The rest of the night was spent in a good mood for both of them. Hinata especially enjoyed the part where he removed his flak jacket and hung it to dry by the fire. His shirt was still clinging to his torso and she let herself admire him through the curtain of her hair as she prepared dinner.

When he bit into the fish that somehow hadn’t been scared away by their game, his brow did the odd furrow it had done the last time she cooked for them. “Is it bad?” she asked, frowning down at her fish and then nibbling on it.

It was a little dry, but not  _ awful.  _ It wasn’t as good as his cooking had been on the night he’d made dinner on the way to Suna, but it was passable. She’d had much worse on missions before.

Shikamaru’s eyes widened, and he shook his head so quickly that she was a little worried he’d twinged his neck. She tilted her head to the side as he took a large enthusiastic bite, then gave her a thumbs up.

“It’s okay if you don’t like it, Shikamaru. I know I’m not the best cook...” she trailed off and looked down at her plate. Maybe she should ask one of the former branch members to teach her how to really cook.

“It isn’t bad,” he finally said, and when she looked up he was eyeing her warily. “I just...I expected you to be one of those spectacular cooks. This is, well. It’s pretty average as far as cooking goes.” 

He shrugged but was still looking like he was worried she was about to pummel him. Knowing the women he generally hung around, that’s probably exactly what he thought would happen.

“Oh. Well, I never learned when I was younger. Kurenai-sensei taught me what I know,” she admitted. 

“Huh. I kind of thought that as a female in a traditional clan, you’d have been forced to learn all of that stuff. If I had a sister mom would have expected her to be a deadly kunoichi  _ and  _ a perfect homemaker. It’s always seemed a little unfair to me, actually. Glad I was born a man.”

Hinata shook her head, feeling fond as he went back to slouching over his meal, apparently deciding that he didn’t need to fear retribution for his comment. “For a long time, it was assumed that I would be the future clan head, and the person my father took on as his apprentice. I would have been expected to eventually retire as an active kunoichi to have children and run the clan, it’s true.” She kept her gaze on her fish. This subject still made her feel melancholy.

“But it would have been considered...unseemly for me to do housework. I would have had branch members for that, though now, of course, the two branches have been merged, so I don’t know how my sister will handle that.” She took another bite.

For a while, there was just the clank of metal against metal as they ate, and then Shikamaru spoke. “That sounds...complicated.”

“Clan politics always are,” she agreed, and he snorted.

“Even the Nara clan can be a pain,” he grumbled, and she glanced up.

His eyes were warm, and she smiled tentatively back. “They’re lucky to have you as a clan head.”

He ducked his head and grunted, but she thought he was pleased by her comment. She watched him eat and wondered if Temari was a good cook. She would have had to be if Shikamaru’s mother approved of her, right? For some reason the thought depressed her, so she pushed it aside. What did she care, anyway? 

The answer to that question had become clear to her by the time they boarded the boat to cross the Hanguri Gulf. They walked through the bustling port town, stopping long enough to get lunch, before finding a boat that was making the journey.

They were in luck and found one with room for two passengers that was leaving within the hour. Hinata stood and took in the deep blue water of the bay, breathing in the sea air. There were gulls hovering around the port, screeching and swooping down to scoop up bits of fish or abandoned scraps of food.

Shikamaru wandered over and leaned against the railing next to her. “I forgot to ask - do you get seasick?”

She glanced over and shook her head, a small smile playing on her lips. “No. I enjoy traveling by boat.”

He just hummed as she turned back to the water, though she was aware of his eyes on her and the way his arm brushed her own whenever one of them shifted. 

Hinata was self-aware in a way many people weren’t. She had cataloged her strengths and weaknesses, the things that made herself tick, as part of the healing process she underwent after the war. After Neji.

Thanks to this process, she knew that the crush she had on Shikamaru wasn’t going anywhere. Once she cared for somebody, she cared deeply, and it was difficult for her to stop. That was okay. She wasn’t afraid of caring from a distance. She could do -  _ had done _ \- that for years.

It was a little surprising how fast it had happened, but then she’d been in close quarters with him for weeks, and had known him since they were children. She had also seen parts of him that not many people did. Shikamaru, she knew, was capable of deep, unselfish love, and that was...tempting, she supposed, to someone of her nature.

Hinata could not just tell herself to stop having romantic feelings for him - bitter experience had taught her that. So she would use her feelings to make herself stronger, both as a kunoichi and as a woman. She always did perform better when there was an emotional stake in the game.

Shikamaru would eventually get over Temari and find another fiery, fierce woman to date and one day marry. Then Hinata could move on, and maybe one day, she’d love somebody who would love her back. 

She just had to be patient.

000

Shikamaru studied Hinata from the corner of his eyes. The breeze coming off the water had gotten stronger when they set sail, and it was whipping her long hair around. It would be impossibly tangled by the time they arrived, but she didn’t seem to care.

She had a small, sad smile on her face as she took in the scenery around them. He wondered what she was thinking about and then cursed himself for being so invested.

Shikamaru hadn’t missed the way she’d been looking at him the past few days. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t interested, but he knew better than to go there. He was just now coming out of the fog he’d been in since Temari broke up with him - he supposed there really was something to that whole ‘closure’ thing. 

He wasn’t ready for another relationship, and Hinata was not a woman that you got involved with casually. It wasn’t a bad thing, but it was an obvious one. While Shikamaru had discovered that casual wasn’t really his cup of tea after a few misguided attempts to forget about Temari with other women, he wasn’t ready for anything serious. 

The smart thing would be to put distance between them. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt a friend. The  _ very  _ last thing he wanted was to become her next Naruto. Unlike the blonde, lovable idiot, he didn’t have the excuse of being oblivious.

Shikamaru was having a hard time doing the smart thing, though. Hinata was like a balm to his soul. Despite having just watched her execute six men without remorse only a week ago, he couldn’t help but notice that there was a kindness in her that went untouched by the shinobi lifestyle.

It wasn’t endless optimism or a deep understanding of others’ pain like Naruto. It was just a well of decency and gentleness that didn’t seem to ever run dry. Being around her was nice. His mind quieted when she was near, and she had her little quirky ways of pulling him out of his brooding without being jarring or overbearing. 

He  _ liked  _ this grown-up version of her and wished he could go back to his childhood self and tell him that she was worth the effort of befriending despite her crippling shyness and strange taste in boys. Of course, he’d have a lot of other, more important things to say to twelve-year-old Shikamaru, so abandoned that line of thought as useless.

As he admired the curve of her back and the lines of her legs, he realized that the next few weeks were going to be an exercise in self-control. 

They docked in the Land of Tea a few hours later and he waved goodbye to the cheerful ship captain before they walked down the ramp leading into the tiny port village. Hinata was looking around them in interest but didn’t say anything as they made their way through the well-worn streets of the village.

He stopped and bought two orders of roasted fish and vegetables and they ate in companionable silence as they walked. Once they were out of sight of the village Shikamaru turned north, off the main road, and Hinata followed.

The Land of Tea was a beautiful country, all green rolling hills and neat rows of the shrubs that tea leaves grew on stretching out as far as the eye could see. There were people, of course, and Shikamaru led them in a roundabout pattern so that they wouldn’t be seen by various workers or other travelers.

At one point they stopped to change into the Haoru disguises in a thick copse of small, fragrant pine trees. He saw Hinata bite her lip to stop herself from laughing when he made distressed noises at the thought of squeezing back into the chaffing leather.

He glared half-heartedly - he remembered her own thighs had some redness from wearing the torture devices - and then had to force his mind away from the memory of  _ how  _ he knew that. He turned his back to her before she could see his expression. When he removed his flak jacket and reached for the hem of his shirt, she made a small squeaking noise that had him smirking at the trees.

His smile fell off his face when the sounds of her undressing behind him reached his ears and he had to give himself a firm lecture on why it would be  _ wrong _ to turn around and try to sneak a peek. He removed the rest of his clothes, ignoring the fact that he was naked in the same space as Hinata, who was probably  _ also  _ naked and picked up the leather jumpsuit, glaring at it before giving in to the inevitable and pulling it up his legs.

Then he frowned. It felt...softer on the inside than what he remembered. He wiggled a hand down between his thigh and the material and - yes. There, a thin layer of cotton was now shielding his thighs and ass from the leather.

“Does it still fit okay?” Hinata’s worried voice asked, and he turned to face her.

She was already in her own jumpsuit, and how she could get out of her outfit - obi, stockings and all - and into the jumpsuit so fast was a mystery. Women always were a baffling bunch, though.  He cleared his throat and forced his eyes away from her generous breasts, because he was a  _ gentleman,  _ dammit. Then he noticed the way her own gaze lingered on his still-bare chest before she blushed and looked away and didn’t feel like such a pervert anymore.

“It does - you did this?”

“Um. Yes. I added it when I repaired my own. I remember you said...that you were uncomfortable. So, um.”

“I was. This is much better, thank you. Now maybe I won’t walk with bowed legs tomorrow,” he drawled, and she giggled.

Her eyes were still focused on the ground at his feet, so he pulled the top of the jumpsuit on, sighing in relief when he realized the fabric had also been added to his torso, shoulders, and under his armpits.

“Well, if the Haoru ever start advertising for a costume designer, you can put me down as a reference.” His lip quirked up on one side as she laughed, and he spent a few seconds contemplating just how difficult keeping his distance was going to be.

They came upon the small Ketsueki base that evening, and Shikamaru studied what used to be a small storage facility for an old tea farm. 

“It’s a large open area, full of farming equipment, with one small room in the Northeast corner,” Hinata whispered to him. 

“How many?”

“Eight. There aren’t any hostages this time.” The relief in her voice was unmistakable.

Yeah, he hadn’t liked the first part of this mission much, either. Especially since he’d spent hours thinking that his partner might be dead while bullying a bunch of traumatized women and girls. It almost made him miss ANBU. Almost.

“Two of them have the same curved swords that the Westerners I encountered had,” Hinata continued. “The others seem normal.”

“Hmm. Interesting - two is how many were assigned to the last outfit. I wonder if that’s their general setup.”

“Um. Gaara-sama did say that it would be difficult to smuggle Westerners across the border, with the security they’ve set up. Perhaps...two is all they could manage?”

“Probably,” Shikamaru agreed. “But let’s not get complacent. Once they realize that these attacks are going to keep happening, they’ll probably increase security.”

Hinata made a sound of agreement, then went quiet as he fell into his thinking pose.

“Hinata,” he said a few minutes later. “How do you feel about dramatic entrances?”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru and Hinata meet an...interesting character on their way to Kiri.

Hinata crouched in the rafters above the eight men and women lounging below her. Six of them moved like civilians, but two of them were obviously trained warriors. Hinata still felt foolish for missing the signs last time and getting herself injured. It had been a rookie mistake and had made things much harder on Shikamaru.

One of them was a short man with broad shoulders and light, blondish-red hair. Like the two other Westerners she’d fought and killed, he had a curved sword strapped to his waist. His partner was a tall, willowy woman with sharp cheekbones and pale eyes. Her dark red hair was pulled back into a braid and she had two shorter curved swords strapped to her back.

They were both wearing padded leather armor and arm braces and moved like the great cats that Hinata had seen prowling around the mountainous regions of the Land of Fire. They were currently arguing about who to send to check on the Ketsueki base in the Land of Wind, as they’d missed two check-ins.

Their vowels were long, their consonants clipped, and Hinata listened to the rise and fall of their voices closely, hoping to pick up any intel they could use.

“Raiso-sama was clear on what to do if we lost contact,” the woman snapped. “You need to leave immediately and make sure everything’s okay.”

“I think we should wait until they miss their third check-in,” the man replied, jaw set and stubborn. “They probably just got distracted gambling and whoring again, knowing Fun-san. If I go now, we’ll miss our next package pick-up. You know what will happen if we’re late.”

The woman went quiet and still before sighing explosively. “Fine, but if something’s happened, and we didn’t report it, it’ll be on your head.”

“Fine with me,” the man said with a shrug.

Hinata assumed this wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation since the five other men and one woman scattered around the open middle of the room seemed more bored than worried. She filed the named Raiso away to pass onto Shikamaru later, along with their check-in system. Their next targets would probably know they were coming since it would take much longer than a few days to get to them. She tilted her head to the side as she passed the ten-minute mark that Shikamaru had given himself to get into position.

Hinata silently activated her Byakugan and the world lit up around her. Then she stood and stepped off the rafters. The edges of her cowl flapped around her shoulders as the air pulled at it, but her descent was soundless. When she landed in a crouch in the middle of the room, they weren’t expecting it. Before they could recover, she’d sent daggers into the throats of two of them.

The male Westerner’s muscles bunched and she knew from recent experience that he was about to perform iaidō. She saw the woman’s hands move to her swords as well. Hinata wouldn’t be taken in by the same trick twice, however.

“Eight trigrams, Revolving Heavens Technique,” she said, then pushed her chakra from her tenketsu points in a steady burst as she went into a spin.

Even moving so quickly, she saw the two Westerns speed towards her using iaidō, drawing their swords in a smooth motion as they went. By the time her barrier formed, it was too late for them to stop and they both slammed into it before being repelled backward. The woman’s fall was broken by two of the thugs, and all three of them slid across the hard floor and slammed into one of the walls, which cracked with the force of their hit.

The man was flung into a rusted and broken hoe and Hinata grimaced as she came to a stop when one of the blades that he’d landed on burst out of his chest. Another thrown dagger and one of the still-standing civilian-level thugs went down.

The swordswoman had climbed to her feet, then bent down to retrieve one of the swords that she’d dropped. They both began to glow and Hinata dodged as she made a slashing motion and chakra blades extended from them, tearing large grooves into the floor where Hinata had been standing only seconds before.

She flipped lightly over onto one hand to avoid a clumsy swing from one of the other thugs, the female, scissoring her legs and twisting in the air. Her foot hit her jaw and her neck bent at an awkward angle as the _pop_ of it breaking echoed throughout the room. Hinata landed on her feet and crouched next to a large bin that still smelled slightly of tea. The swordswoman stepped forward, flanked by the two remaining thugs.

“Shinobi,” she spat in disgust. “We were told you wouldn’t be sticking your noses into our business. Our backers will be interested to hear otherwise once you’re dead.”

Hinata coiled her muscles as the woman swung at her again, her extended blades ripping through the metal siding of the large container with a screeching sound as Hinata launched into a flip over her head and landed ten feet behind her. For a moment the container stayed upright, then the two halves separated with a groan of protest before slowly falling. When they hit the ground with a large crash they sent dust and debris flying into the air.

“You can’t dodge forever,” the woman said and took a step towards her.

Hinata just needed her to move a little closer. She took a step back. The woman followed, and her mouth split into a smile.

“You’re mine -” All three of the Ketsueki members stopped in their tracks as their feet hit shadows.

“Got you,” Shikamaru said from where he’d been kneeling behind a stack of crates.

Hinata met the woman’s furious blue gaze as a hand-shaped shadow made its way to her throat. Without another word spoken between them, Shikamaru snapped her neck, along with those of her colleagues.  As they fell to the ground like puppets with their strings cut, Hinata reminded herself that these were human traffickers, people who made money off of the pain and enslavement of others.

She forced herself to recall the blank gazes of the women they’d set free in Wind. Doing this meant that others would be safe from that fate. It would have to be enough. Pushing back her guilt and regret, she reactivated her Byakugan as Shikamaru went to make sure that all of their foes were actually dead. She didn’t see any other living humans around them within fifteen kilometers, and she released her doujutsu with a sigh.

Shikamaru came and stood next to her, his face still hidden in shadow. “Are you alright? Did she get you? That last attack looked close.”

Hinata shook her head and avoided looking at the bodies littering the ground. “I’m fine. Just tired.” She was glad for the cowl that hid her expression. This mission couldn’t end soon enough.

His hand landed on her shoulder and squeezed, once, in reassurance. “I didn’t know you could do revolving heaven,” he said as he removed a scroll from the folds of his cowl and crouched down in the dirt.

“I learned it this year.” She accepted the unlit torch he handed her. “It takes a lot out of me, and I’m not as proficient as Neji-nii was, but it’s useful.”

“Yeah, that it is. You did well.”

Later, she tried to take comfort in his praise as they watched the building burn with the bodies still inside, but it was difficult. Sometimes, the life of a kunoichi felt too heavy. She would just have to try to remember all of the people she was saving by completing this mission.

000

They boarded the boat that would take them to the Land of Water the next morning. Hinata had been quiet and if it were anybody else, Shikamaru might even call her uncharacteristic silence brooding. The nature of the mission was getting to her, and Shikamaru couldn’t say he blamed her.

He was at a loss as to how to go about cheering her up, though. He wasn’t exactly good at cutesy gestures like starting water fights or making flower crowns, so that was out. He’d just feel ridiculous if he tried. They couldn’t exactly talk about what had happened out in the open, either.

He was sitting on the railing, eating an apple and watching the crew prepare to depart around him as he ruminated on how to cheer her up when a commotion at the entrance to the deck pulled his attention. Three more people were boarding the ship.

Two were Grass shinobi and they immediately spotted Shikamaru, eyes darting to the hitai-ate displayed on his arm, before nodding. He lifted a hand but didn’t move to greet them, as it was obvious they were mid-mission.

The third person with them looked like he was a minor noble, also from Grass by the style of his perfectly pressed blue robes. He was in fairly good shape for a civilian, with a lean body and easy strides. His skin was tan and clear, though the lines around his eyes marked him as middle-aged.

His hair was dark and styled into a wavy coif designed to hide the fact that it was thinning and he had a neatly trimmed goatee. He was looking around the modest ship with a curled lip and Shikamaru decided that this man was not only rich but entitled. His first words, spoken in a nasal voice that didn’t seem to fit his masculine exterior, did nothing to disabuse him of that notion.

“You cannot expect me to travel for two days on this piece of junk. It will probably sink at the first sign of rough waters.” Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

A few feet from him the captain of the ship, a sturdy woman with gray hair pulled back into a braid, stiffened. Shikamaru met her eyes and shrugged, and she sighed.

“Baru-san, I want you to commission us a different ship...immediately...” he trailed off as his eyes caught sight of something across the deck.

Shikamaru followed his gaze, then stiffened when he realized that Hinata was the thing that had caught his attention. She was leaning against the rail, hands folded in front of her, talking to a gruff old sailor. She laughed at something he said and Shikamaru couldn’t blame the noble for being distracted by her even as he had the urge to push the man overboard.

He recognized that look of avarice, and how men like him tended to think of anyone below their ‘station’ as mere property. Well, Hinata was a noble in her own right, so Shikamaru wasn’t overly concerned about him taking advantage of his station, even when the man straightened and looked at his guard.

“On second thought, this ship has its...charms. We’ll take this one, after all.” Shikamaru huffed out a laugh and took another bite of the apple.

A guy like that didn’t have a chance with Hinata. When he met the eyes of the blonde-haired, green-eyed Grass shinobi he’d spoken to, the man sent him an amused look. He must have come to the same conclusion.

Hinata came and stood next to Shikamaru as they pulled out of the port. He tossed her an apple and she caught it, turning it in her hands and admiring the yellow skin. Her mood seemed to have improved and he nudged her with his shoulder.

She glanced over and he flashed her a half smile, which she returned before lifting the apple to her mouth to take a large bite. He snorted as some juice dribbled down her chin and she smacked him lightly with the back of the hand holding the apple in chastisement.

“So violent,” he grumbled as she wiped the juice from her chin, and she giggled.

He knew the look he shot her as he relaxed back against the rails was overly fond, but couldn’t regret it when she bit her lip to try to stop her pleased smile as her cheeks pinked. She turned her attention back to her apple and he forced his eyes away from her mouth.

An hour later they were sitting cross-legged on the deck, sharpening their kunai, when the blonde Grass shinobi approached. He bowed and Shikamaru set the weapon in his hand down and nodded in greeting.

“Hello, shinobi-san,” Hinata said.

“Ah, please, call me Baru.” His eyes crinkled in the corners.

“I’m Nara Shikamaru, and this is Hyuuga Hinata. It’s nice to meet you,” Shikamaru said.

“I recognized you from the war, Nara-sama. We never met formally, but I saw you around.”

“What can we do for you, Baru-san?” Hinata asked.

“Ah, that.” He rubbed the back of his neck and Shikamaru had a feeling that he already knew where this was heading.

“My client, Hanada-sama, has invited you both to join him in his cabin for dinner this evening.”

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow and exchanged looks with Hinata, whose brow was furrowed.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t believe I’m familiar with your client,” she said politely.

Baru looked amused by her statement, and Shikamaru assumed that Hanada wasn’t a fan of feeling unimportant. “Ah, well, you’re not acquainted. I may have mentioned that Nara-sama here is considered a war hero, and I believe he’s just hoping for some company. Hanada-sama is a minor noble of the Land of Grass. A favored cousin of the Daimyo, actually.”

Hinata’s face cleared in understanding and she smiled. They both knew there was no refusing the invitation gracefully, and the last thing they needed was an insulted daimyo writing their Hokage to complain about his shinobi’s manners.

“We’d be honored to attend, of course,” she said. “What time should we be there?”

000

Hinata subtly shifted her position so that there were a few more inches of space between herself and Hanada as the man turned to pick up a bottle of wine. Across from her Shikamaru was slouched over, for all the world looking half asleep. She knew him well enough after weeks in close proximity, however, to recognize when he was annoyed.

It was their second and last night on the ship and Hinata was more than a little relieved. Hanada had been not-so-subtly attempting to charm his way into her bed since yesterday evening. He had become especially interested after hearing that she was the daughter of the head of a noble clan.

That had brought back...uncomfortable memories for her that had her reacting with a visceral dislike to the man ever since. Not that she would have enjoyed his company, anyway. He was a stuck up, priggish man who seemed to believe that his money and fairly good looks were enough to lure Hinata into having sex with him.

It was neither the first - nor probably the last - time Hinata had to diplomatically turn down advances, however. When he leaned in too close, she’d find something interesting to look at that required she step to the side. If his hand lingered too long on her arm, she would reach for the water pitcher.

Shikamaru had played the lazy and clueless coworker card more than once, stepping between them to complain to Hinata about the heat, or ask her to help him mend his shirts. At one point she was pretty sure he’d kicked a crate over that had ended up splashing fishy water across an enraged Hanada’s expensive shoes and the hems of his robes. As the man had stalked off to change, poetry he’d been reciting to a bored Hinata on the deck left unfinished, Shikamaru had winked at her before he slunk off to find a mop.

That evening Hanada had been in fine form, and had even tried to convince them to join his entourage as he traveled to a village that was close to Kirigakure. Hinata had explained, as gently as she could, that they were expected in the other village in less than a day after they landed, and would have to travel much faster than what he could manage as a civilian.

He’d seemed so genuinely upset over their upcoming separation that she’d felt a bit guilty over looking forward to it. The two Grass shinobi, for their parts, seemed to find the whole situation amusing and were no help in discouraging his advances. Not that they could really do anything without potentially upsetting their client.

After they finished their dinner, Hinata stood with perhaps more eagerness than was proper and bowed. “Thank you very much for your hospitality, Hanada-sama.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. It’s only what a princess should expect,” he said, ignoring Shikamaru’s presence as thoroughly as he’d been doing once he fell for the ‘harmless lazy Nara’ act.

“You’re too kind, Hanada-sama,” she replied even as she mentally went through the list of things she still needed to do before they disembarked the next day. She was fairly certain that her other set of stockings needed to be mended, and she had a feeling Shikamaru hadn’t cleaned his disguise, which had been covered in dust along with everything else in the vicinity when the storage bin had been destroyed in Tea.

“I can only hope that one day we will reunite,” he was saying, and Hinata nodded along. Had she finished sharpening her little throwing daggers? She had become surprisingly attached to the tiny weapons. It could have something to do with how dangerous she felt in the Haoru uniform.

Shikamaru sent her an amused look after they were back in their tiny cabin, which was much less roomy than Hanada’s. “You weren’t even listening to him as he practically declared his love for you, were you? Poor guy.”

Hinata blinked at him. “He was not!” she exclaimed and he snickered.

“He said, and I quote, ‘How will I survive without the sound of your melodious voice greeting me each morning?’ Oh, man, I love it when the predator becomes the prey,” he said, a bit nonsensically in Hinata’s opinion.

She just shook her head in response to his teasing and decided to change the subject. “Have you cleaned your jumpsuit?” She hid a smile behind her hand when he rubbed the back of his neck and his eyes darted to the side.

“If you sharpen my daggers, I’ll clean it for you,” she offered and ignored the way her heart flipped at his pleased half smile.

The next morning they stepped onto the wooden planks of the deck, and after a signal from Shikamaru, she activated her Byakugan so she could check for any threats through the thick mist surrounding them. All she saw were fishermen and the crew from their own boat.

She’d barely deactivated it when a voice called her name. She resisted the urge to sigh and plastered a smile on her face before turning towards the gangplank. Hanada was wearing robes that seemed a little too nice for travel.

His hair was oiled and his goatee was perfectly trimmed. She could smell his perfume from six feet away. His two shinobi escorts looked like they were trying not to laugh as he approached. Shikamaru grumbled something unflattering under his breath next to her and she was torn between wanting to shush him or giggle.

“Hinata-hime,” he said and her eyes widened when he reached out and grabbed her hands in both of his. They were soft - too soft. He had none of the callouses she was used to feeling on the hands of her friends and family.

“Please forgive my forwardness,” he said, ignoring Shikamaru’s scoff, “but I must ask. Would you mind if I called on you sometime in the future? I would, of course, write your father first to ask for his permission,” he hurried to add as if that was the part of his request that caused her brain to stutter to a halt.

“C-call on me? In Konoha?” she squeaked.

He gave her a charming smile. “Yes. I find myself...quite attached, even after only a few days.”

Hinata gaped at him, too surprised to tug her hands back. She was pulled from her stupor when he stepped closer, however, and all of her training in how to deal with these situations came snapping back in place. She gently pulled her hands from his own and patted one before folding them in front of her. A small frown line formed between his brows and she smiled at him, hoping to convey that she wasn’t trying to be cruel with her next words.

“Hanada-sama, I am honored that you think so highly of me. While I’ve enjoyed my time conversing with you, I’m afraid that my heart lies with my village. All of my focus and passion goes into my training, and I am not interested in romance at this time.”

His eyes narrowed, and for just a moment he looked enraged. Then his face cleared back into an amiable smile. “Ah, just when I think you couldn’t be more perfect, you prove otherwise,” he said and bowed with a flourish.

“Hinata, we need to leave,” Shikamaru cut in, voice sharp, and she frowned and glanced over at him, but just nodded.

“Thank you again for your kindness, Hanada-sama,” she said politely. “Please travel safely.”

Hanada nodded. “I will. Perhaps I will see you in Kirigakure - I have business there in a week or so.”

“I look forward to it,” she lied.

She turned and followed Shikamaru as he blurred away. It was unusually dramatic for him, but then he was always a little overly sensitive before noon.

Hinata thought back to her rejection of Hanada. He was an altogether unpleasant man, but still, she had never enjoyed the sometimes-necessary but always-uncomfortable task of rejecting somebody’s romantic advances. It was a vulnerable moment for a person when they bared their hearts to someone.

“Please tell me you’re not actually feeling bad about turning that guy down?” Shikamaru said, voice exasperated.

She looked over at him as she leapt from one large rock to another, the grey, misty landscape a blur around them.

“I...don’t like those types of situations,” she admitted and he snorted.

“Yeah, nobody does. But that guy was a slimeball. He’ll be over it by noon when he sees a pretty waitress at whatever teahouse they stop at for lunch.”

Hinata frowned and looked at the ground, feeling a little silly. Shikamaru was right, Hanada hadn’t _truly_ cared about her. He’d barely known her. While she knew she was considered fairly attractive, there were many attractive women out there. The part that stung, though, was that _Shikamaru_ seemed to think that there was nothing special about her.

Shikamaru swore under his breath. “I’m being an asshole. Sorry, that guy just got under my skin. If he has half a brain, he’ll realize you’re worth ten of him.”

Hinata’s cheeks heated and when she looked over, his gaze was focused on the scenery in front of him, face twisted into an embarrassed scowl. Her heart lifted at his words.

“Thank you, Shikamaru,” she said, and he only grunted in response, but his mood seemed to lift after that.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes arrive in Kiri, where they proceed to flail all over everything and be generally awkward. Also, Terumi Mei has a plan, whether Shikamaru likes it or not.

They arrived in Kiri a half day after they’d disembarked from the ship. Hinata had never been to the village before and as they followed their escort - a short, broad man with a large sword strapped to his back - she took it in with wide eyes.

It was very grey. Wisps of mist hovered in the air over the stone cobbled streets, covering the buildings that had been carved from rock in a light dusting of water. As they continued deeper into the village, however, Hinata noted that many structures were in the midst of reconstruction. Dotted throughout the grey on grey architecture were newer buildings that had been built out of materials of brighter colors.

Unlike the older style of the structures surrounding them, they had large, gleaming windows set into the facades and looked welcoming instead of like miniature prisons. Naruto had told her that Kiri had been trying to modernize in the past few years as a way to shed their bloody past, and Hinata supposed this was the proof of those efforts.

It was nice, the thought that the villages were making real attempts at improving the quality of life for their people. The air smelled of salt and damp earth and Hinata’s mood lifted. She was looking forward to exploring Kirigakure and felt very blessed that she lived in a world where the Elemental Nations had such good relations with each other.

When she glanced over at Shikamaru he was watching her, lips turned up slightly at the corners. Her heartbeat sped up and his head tilted to the side. Her body felt suddenly flushed and she swayed towards him without thought.

“Alright. You’ll be staying here, in the Mizukage’s home.” Hinata pulled her gaze from Shikamaru with effort and studied the building in front of her.

It was fairly new, nestled between a park and what looked like Kiri’s version of an administration building, a tall stone structure that rose above the rest. It was one of the buildings under construction, it seemed, as there was scaffolding built around it with people walking across it or concentrating on adding bright white siding.

The house itself was three stories high and was painted a pretty blue with white trim. A small but neat yard with flower beds lining the walkway was in front. Hinata counted at least three guards around it that she could see without her Byakugan, and could only assume that there were more.

It was a high honor and showed an enormous amount of trust to allow them to sleep in the same house as Kiri’s kage. Shikamaru exchanged a glance with her before following their escort up the walkway and into the house.

The inside of the house was elegant, with hardwood floors and a large entryway with high ceilings. Two sets of stairs curved down from a landing one story up to meet the gleaming floor in the entrance hall. A large chandelier with pretty little seashells hanging from it was framed between the two staircases.

“Hello, hello, welcome to my home,” a low voice said and Terumi Mei appeared on the stairs.

“Mizukage-sama,” both Hinata and Shikamaru greeted as they bowed.

“Shikamaru-san, Hinata-san, it’s nice to see you both looking so well,” Mei said as she descended the stairs, hips swaying and chin high.

Hinata’s heart sank when she saw Shikamaru’s eyes linger on the woman’s shoulders and exposed leg. Well, she knew that his admiration and flirting with her weren’t serious _,_ and it was normal to admire somebody as attractive as Mei. Hinata didn’t have any claim to his attention, after all.

She smiled through the stubborn tightness in her chest when Mei stopped in front of them. “You have a beautiful home, Mizukage-sama. Thank you very much for hosting us.”

The woman waved one pale hand in the air. “Not at all, Hinata-san. I’m happy to have you. It gets lonely in this house all alone.”

She turned to Shikamaru and smiled. “It will be so nice to have such a handsome young man wandering its halls.”

Hinata clamped down on her flash of sudden dislike for the woman. She was right, after all. Shikamaru was very handsome, and Mei was known for her outrageous flirting with any semi-attractive man. Jealousy was an emotion best left at the door. Especially if it made Hinata look at a woman that she had always respected from a distance for her strength and determination to protect her village with undeserved dislike.

Shikamaru flashed a smile. “I’m happy to assist, Mizukage-sama.”

She laughed. “Alright, alright, I’m sure you’d like a chance to relax and unpack your things. Will you join me for dinner this evening?”

For a horrible moment, Hinata thought that she was talking only to Shikamaru. Then her eyes moved over to Hinata to include her in the request. Her smile felt plastic and wrong on her face and Mei raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, of course,” Shikamaru said into the awkward silence as Hinata struggled to catch up with the situation.

His eyes darted to her for only a moment but it was enough to pull herself together. “We’d be honored to, Mizukage-sama,” she said and Mei’s smile was back.

“Great! I’ll see you then. Han will take you to your rooms.”

Hinata managed a more sincere smile at the thought of a proper shower and a bed that didn’t rock and bowed again. They followed their escort, who they now knew as Han, up the stairs and down the hallway. She ignored Shikamaru’s gaze on her as she said goodbye at her door and slipped inside, letting out a breath of relief at the relative privacy.

She was sure she was being monitored but assumed nobody would care whether she was smiling or not. She dropped her bag to the floor, ignoring the sounds of Shikamaru moving around in the room next to hers. There was a closed door that she assumed connected their rooms and she moved quickly into the bathroom, hoping he wouldn’t knock on it right away if he heard the shower turn on.

The room and bathroom were both lavish. The floors were stone and the shower was huge and spacious. There was a large tub set into the stone next to it and Hinata decided she would definitely be making use of it before dinner. She switched on the shower so she could rinse off the dirt from the road first. Hinata stripped off her clothes and folded them before setting them on the counter. She hesitated and looked at her reflection in the mirror, unable to resist comparing herself to Mei.

Hinata looked over her body clinically. She was in good shape, but that wasn’t anything unusual for her line of work. She had never been one of those girls who was jealous of another woman’s body, despite her generally low self-esteem when she was younger. Hinata was what she was, after all, and wishing to be somebody else was a waste of time.

Actually, if she thought about it objectively, she had a very similar body type to both Temari and Mei. All three of them were curvier than the average kunoichi, with clear skin and roundish faces. Was that the sort of woman Shikamaru was attracted to? It must be.

She shook her head and turned away from the mirror. Perhaps Shikamaru liked his women curvy, but she knew her personality was as far from Temari and Mei’s as you could get. Hinata needed to stop torturing herself. Shikamaru might find her physically attractive, and care for her as a friend, but she was kidding herself if she thought he’d developed romantic feelings for her.

She had to prepare herself for the possibility that she’d have to look on while he and Mei (or any number of women after they returned home) flirted. Perhaps as they did other things, as well. She turned off the shower and moved to sit on the edge of the bath. She watched as the water filled, brow furrowed.

Hinata wished she would stop falling for the wrong men. She knew that it wasn’t Shikamaru’s fault, or anybody else’s, that she was feeling this way, but couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated with the situation. She turned off the water and sank into the tub. One thing was for sure - she couldn’t show her discomfort if there was a repeat of what happened in the entryway.

Her feelings, after all, were her own problem.

000

Shikamaru glanced over at Hinata even as he kept part of his attention on what the Mizukage was saying. His partner was acting off. It was nothing that would be noticeable to their host. Hinata’s smile was soft and sincere and she hadn’t faltered after her strange reaction in the entryway. But something was going on and he was frustrated that he didn’t know what it was.

Hinata had barely glanced at him once and she kept having odd moments of silence that to Mei probably just seemed like shyness. He wondered if she was still upset about what had happened with Hanada, but that didn’t quite add up. She’d been cheerful enough on their journey from the port to the village, after all.

“So, Hinata-san, you must be seeing somebody new by now,” Mei said in a teasing tone and Hinata stiffened and looked down at her plate.

“Oh. No, not currently, Mizukage-sama.”

“Really? A pretty, talented young thing like you? It just goes to show, I suppose, how hard it is to find a good man these days.”

Hinata’s lips quirked up at Mei’s long-suffering expression. “Yes, I suppose it is,” she agreed.

Shikamaru scowled down at his plate, though he wasn’t sure why her answer had annoyed him. What happened to _I’m focused on my training?_ Though, she had used that as an excuse to avoid matchmaking. Perhaps Hinata was actively looking.

Shikamaru had a sudden image of Hinata walking through a park, smiling up at some faceless man, and his grip tightened on his fork.

“What about you, Shikamaru-san? I heard that Temari-san is engaged to some hottie from Cloud. Have you found somebody new?”

“Not seeing anybody at the moment,” he said distractedly as he attempted to force his mind from the thought of Hinata allowing the faceless shinobi to kiss her on the spot where her shoulder curved into her neck.

“You don’t sound that upset about Temari’s new beau,” Mei noted shrewdly and Shikamaru pulled his attention from where he’d been staring at the side of Hinata’s head.

Mei’s expression was amused instead of annoyed, thankfully, and he shrugged. “We broke up months ago.”

Luckily, the conversation moved on from there. Mei flirted with him shamelessly, but he only responded enough to keep her from feeling scorned. Her attention was flattering - Mei was an attractive woman, after all - but Shikamaru knew trouble when he saw it. She would eat him alive, and not in a fun way.

Next to him, Hinata became more and more quiet until she was barely speaking. At one point, when Mei had turned her head so that one of her guards could mutter something into her ear, Shikamaru reached under the table to nudge her in the side. She flinched away from him and his brow furrowed when she stiffened and sent him a smile that was probably supposed to be reassuring.

“Well,” Mei said. “I suppose we should discuss tomorrow’s schedule.”

Hinata glanced over. “Of course. What time should we be ready?”

Twenty minutes later Shikamaru flung himself down on his bed, annoyed and trying to pretend that he wasn’t sulking. He’d become accustomed to having Hinata’s attention on him the past weeks and he didn’t like that she’d suddenly decided to stop looking in his direction.

Had he done something wrong? Perhaps she’d just gotten over whatever crush she’d been developing on him. He put an arm over his eyes and listened to the sounds of her getting ready for bed next door. He knew he should be doing the same - he had an early morning the next day, after all.

A knock on the door that led out to the hallway pulled him from his musings. Some investigation told him it was The Mizukage and he hurried to his feet, not wanting to keep her waiting. She must have forgotten to give them information regarding tomorrow's meetings.

He’d barely turned the handle when the door was pushed open with enough force that he stumbled back. He caught himself before he could attack the Mizukage, but he still held himself ready to react. She slammed the door behind her and he flinched at the loud noise.

He’d just opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when she blurred out of sight. The next thing he knew his body was slamming back into a large, soft chair set at the end of the bed and the Mizukage was straddling his lap. The chair skidded back and hit the wall and he cringed when he heard a piece of drywall hit the floor.

“What - _mmph!”_ Her lips covering his cut off his question and he was momentarily distracted by her hands slipping under his shirt and the way she was grinding down against him.

Yeah, he wasn’t interested in one-night stands anymore, but he challenged any person who hadn’t been laid in months to not react to Terumi Mei feeling them up. Before he could think better of it he opened his mouth under hers and she made a low sound in the back of her throat and pushed her tongue inside. And, wow, could the woman kiss.

He’d just placed his hands on her hips when there was a knock on the door separating his room from Hinata’s and her worried voice filtered through the wood, slightly muffled. “Shikamaru? Are you okay?”

Reality rushed back and he turned his head away, breaking their kiss and sending a panicked look at the door. Mei moved her lips to his neck, undeterred, and his feet scrambled at the carpet as he attempted to push her away from him. Man, this woman was _strong._

“Uh, yeah, I - I’m ok-ay!” He yelped out the last syllable when Mei bit down on his neck. “Mizukage-sama, not that this isn’t pleasant,” he hissed, then swallowed when she pressed against him and his gaze caught on her creamy shoulders and impressive cleavage.

After clearing his throat, he tried again, gaze darting to the door. The thought of Hinata coming through and seeing...whatever this was filled him with an anxiety that he really didn’t want to explore. “I can’t do this.”

Mei sat back and raised a brow, then followed his gaze to the door. She sighed and stuck her lip out. “Ah. Well, that takes some of the fun out of this plan, but I suppose we could just fake it.”

His brow furrowed. “Wha -”

Of course, that was when the door opened. Hinata peeked around it and Shikamaru had a clear view of the way her expression went from worry to slack-jawed shock, to twisting in what looked like pain before settling on mortification.

“I - I’m so sorry!” she squeaked when Mei looked over her shoulder at her. “I thought something was wrong when I heard - oh, please forgive me, Mizukage-sama!”

“Hinata, wait -” Shikamaru tried, but she’d already retreated behind the door and slammed it shut behind her.

He sat, stunned and feeling a bit like somebody had just jammed a hot poker straight into his stomach. The look on her face...

“Oh, calm down,” Mei whispered into his ear, and why was she still in his lap? Another shove proved fruitless, though, and unless he wanted to create a diplomatic incident with Kiri by attempting to knock out their kage, he was stuck. At least she wasn’t actively molesting him, now.

“I’d be calmer if you would get off of me,” he gritted out and she chuckled.

“What? You didn’t seem too upset a minute ago.”

“You surprised me.”

Mei sighed and her shoulders slumped. “I guess that’s the only way I can get a man to like me, then? Shock him into submission. I’ll never be married.”

Shikamaru winced, well aware of the Mizukage’s less-than-rational response to the subject of marriage. “It’s not personal, Mizukage-sama,” he rushed to assure even as his mind reeled at the ridiculous situation he found himself in. “You’re very beautiful and intelligent, it’s just...”

His gaze drifted to the door again and his body twitched towards it. He needed to go explain to Hinata that he hadn’t been - well, okay, for a moment he _had been,_ but he’d been surprised, and Terumi was objectively a very attractive woman. Shit. 

Mei sighed, then leaned forward until her lips were against his ear. “I have no doubt somebody is watching, or at least knows I’m in your room. I’ve discovered that the Ketsueki has a longer reach than previously thought.”

His hands tightened on her hips and all thoughts of his confusing and currently doomed-before-it-began love life fled for the moment. “Oh?”

“That’s right. It will be tricky sneaking the two of you out to take care of the _bases_.” The way she spat the word made him think that the civilian population was involved. “Luckily, I’m known for my habit of inviting men that attract my...interest to my summer house for a day or so. Out in the woods. Just me and him and of course, my guards.”

Her plan clicked in his mind. It would be an easy way to get them out of the village for a few nights so they could take care of the poppy fields and Ketsueki base. “Ah. I see. So we need to pretend to be...”

“That’s right. Actually, Hinata-san’s angst will do nicely to reinforce our cover. I wasn't sure at first whether she liked you back, but her reaction just now confirmed it.”

Shikamaru glared at her and opened his mouth to declare that they absolutely would _not_ be hurting Hinata just to further her plan. Also, what did she mean like him  _back?_   Was he that obvious? She sighed before he could speak and he valiantly ignored the way her chest pressed against his own with the motion.

“Oh, stop it. Us kunoichi are made of sterner stuff than that. A little heartbreak is nothing compared to the trials we go through to get half the respect you men do for twice the amount of work.”

Shikamaru sank back against the chair, all remnants of lust drifting away at the rant that almost could have come directly from Ino’s mouth. Ino plus lust just did not compute in his mind.

“Don’t worry, I know you need your partner to come along, so I’ve instructed one of my guards to show an interest in her. He’ll respectfully request that she be allowed to come along.”

Shikamaru sat up so fast that she almost fell out of his lap. She must have stopped using chakra to keep him pinned down at some point. “Absolutely not.”

Mei scoffed and smoothed down her hair as she recovered her balance, though she seemed amused instead of angry by his reaction. She reached out and patted his cheek and he wondered how he’d ever thought she was attractive. She was awful. Most women were such a pain. He preferred sweet and kind with a spine of steel beneath it all...

Well, shit. What a time for that realization.

“Don’t worry, your girl doesn’t seem like the type to be swayed by pretty words. If she were, you’d be screwed. And not in the fun way.”

He sputtered and she stood in one smooth, graceful motion, adjusting her skirt just enough that it was still wrinkled in a way that made it look like she’d just been, well, sitting with it up around her thighs. Her lips were slightly swollen and there was a bit of red on her face from rubbing against his scruff.

The only thing he felt about the whole objectively appealing picture she made was guilt. He hoped Hinata wouldn't look out of her door when Mei left the room. Knowing his luck, that’s exactly what she would do.

“I’m serious, Shikamaru- _kun._ Until we’re away from the village, you need to keep the plan between us. Unless you want me to write to your Hokage about how you seem to be letting personal feelings affect your work.”

He pressed his lips together. It would be an annoying black mark on his record, but what really bothered him about her threat was that it would reflect negatively on Hinata as well. He was sure Mei knew, it, too, insufferable woman.

“Fine,” he bit out and did his best not to sulk.

Judging by the tinkling of her laughter, he failed. Her expression softened and she leaned forward to put her hand on his shoulder. “It’s only for a couple of days, Shikamaru-san. Once we’re away from prying eyes, you can tell her the truth. I know it seems I’m being overly cautious, but the reports I’m receiving about what the Ketsueki are doing in _my country,_ with _my people,_ is unacceptable.”

The hard tone she said that in made his hands break out in a cold sweat. Terumi Mei was a force to be reckoned with, and this was just a reminder. She might generally be easygoing and fairly kind, for a kage, but he knew she’d do a lot worse than hurt the feelings of one kunoichi to protect her people.

“Alright. We’ll keep up the ruse.”

“Thank you, Shikamaru. I am sorry to put you in this position, but I don’t want anybody to get suspicious. My village has just started to recover this past five years, and sanctions from those who pay us would set us back. I hope you can understand why I’m being overly cautious.”

Shikamaru just nodded and let out a low breath when she tilted her head in what he thought might be gratitude before leaving his room. He collapsed back against the chair and stared up at the ceiling while trying not to feel like an asshole. Should he have insisted on telling his partner? Probably not.

A request from a kage wasn’t something you denied easily. Plus, she had a point. Hinata was a lot of things, but she wasn’t great at hiding her emotions. Sure, she had a good diplomatic smile, but it didn’t hold up for long periods of time. It would be fairly obvious she felt strongly for him to the sharp observer by the end of the week, and if she didn’t show some signs of being upset at his faux affair with the Mizukage...

This plan sucked. It really, really sucked.

It’s not like he was hurting Hinata on purpose. _Neither had Naruto,_ his stupid brain supplied. At least Naruto hadn’t known what he was doing. Well, he’d know when he’d broken it off with her, but that was just another example of him being a lovable idiot. He legitimately hadn’t noticed that he was in love with his best friend until it’d been pointed out to him. Shikamaru stopped those thoughts in their tracks, though, not wanting to heap more guilt onto himself.

Alright. He had a few options, here. Once they left for the vacation house, which he assumed would be when they finished hammering out a new treaty, she would know the truth as soon as he had a chance to debrief with her.

At that point, he could do one of two things. He could let her believe he’d actually slept with Mei, effectively ruining any chances he had with her and giving her a clean break. Which is what she deserved, if he wasn’t going to act on...whatever feelings had been building between them.

Or he could tell her the truth. Which would be a tactic admission, at least to himself, that he wanted to move forward with her. Not while on the mission, of course, but when they were back in the village. Was he ready for that, though? Was she?

He glanced at the door and resisted the urge to check on her. He was probably the last person she wanted to see right now. Sure, they weren’t dating, but he knew that it had stung to see him with somebody else. He’d seen that much before she’d fled.

He sighed and stood to get ready for bed, though he doubted he’d have an easy time finding sleep. He wasn’t wrong.

000

Hinata sat at the long table, doing her best to look attentive as one of the Kiri shinobi droned on about water quality. She hoped she didn’t look as wretched as she felt. A trip to the bathroom would be in order at lunch to check that the makeup she’d painstakingly applied that morning to hide the bags under her eyes was still in place.

Her hands clenched and then relaxed in her lap when Mei broke in with a question. She did her best to ignore the flash of memory that came to her when she turned her attention to the Mizukage. The way Shikamaru’s hands had been gripping the woman’s hips, the long expanse of leg that was showing beneath her hiked up skirt where she was straddling him.

The muffled sounds she’d heard after she shut the door behind her until she’d escaped to the shower. How worn out Shikamaru had looked that morning. The mark on his neck that he hadn’t quite covered well enough.

“...If we could get more of those water purifying solutions that your village makes, or perhaps even the recipe, we’d be willing to discuss decreasing the trade tax on fish oil.”

Hinata nodded. “I believe we can work something out to that effect. I'm fairly certain that the Nara clan holds the recipe, is that right, Shikamaru-san?”

She turned to him. It was a struggle to keep the polite interest on her face, but honestly, she’d been through much more uncomfortable dinners within her clan. His gaze lingered on her before his attention went to Mei.

The shards that were lodged in her chest and stomach weren’t quite the result of jealousy since she didn’t really feel any ill-will towards the Mizukage or believe she held ownership over Shikamaru. She’d worked through those negative feelings last night. People sometimes assumed that she just didn’t have less-than-kind thoughts about others, but that wasn’t true. Hinata was just very good at practicing empathy, so could usually move past them.

All that was really left was a sort of hollow, bereft acceptance. Despite all her firm warnings not to get her hopes up, she had started to think that maybe Shikamaru was interested in her romantically. The realization that he wasn’t, not really, had been more painful as a result of that small hope. Her gaze flicked to Mei, who looked just as beautiful as she always did, and she let a small, almost imperceptible sigh escape her.

Shikamaru sent her a questioning look and she gave him her best _Heir of the Clan_ polite smile. His brow furrowed and she looked away. She ended up staring straight at one of Mei’s guards, Han, the man who had guided them through the city and to their rooms the night before. He was looking back at her and she blinked rapidly when his lips quirked up in a smile and he inclined his head.

She smiled back at him more out of habit than anything and to her consternation, his cheeks and bald head reddened. Well that was...odd. Hinata didn’t have time to think on it, though, before somebody else asked a complicated question about crop yields and she was forced to put all her attention back to the talks.

That night at dinner Shikamaru sat next to the Mizukage, who kept touching his arm and laughing at whatever he said. Her two most well-known guards were at her sides - the ones she generally traveled with, who had been with her in the war. Ao and Chojuro, Hinata remembered after some searching of her memory.

Hinata was surprised when the empty seat next to her was taken by Han a few minutes into the meal. He smiled at her, a flash of white, perfect teeth that made him look younger than she’d originally guessed. “Hello, Hyuuga-san. Do you mind if I sit?”

“Not at all, Han-san. How are you?”

He reached for a bowl of grilled vegetables. “I’m good. Just got off rotation.”

“Oh?”

He nodded and they were silent for a few minutes while they ate. Hinata was trying and failing not to notice the way Shikamaru was leaning in towards Mei to say something directly into her ear when Han spoke again. “Is this your first time in Kiri?”

She dragged her attention back to him. “Yes. I’m afraid I haven’t had a chance to see much of it, but from what I’ve seen it’s very impressive.”

“Oh? That’s a shame. There are some truly beautiful sections of it, once you get away from all the stone of central Kiri.”

“Really?”

“Yes. We have one of the biggest botanical gardens in all of the Elemental Nations, for example. I think it’s only rivaled by the one in Cloud.”

“Oh! That sounds lovely. I do enjoy gardening.”

Han turned warm, dark eyes on her. “I could take you there, after dinner, if you’d like.”

Hinata hesitated. While going to see the gardens did sound nice, she didn’t miss the interest in his gaze. The last thing she wanted was to lead somebody who seemed like a very nice man on. Not to mention the drama it might cause.

He noted her hesitance and smiled. “No expectations. Mizukage-sama actually asked me to act as your guide, if you wanted.”

Hinata relaxed, even if she had a small twinge of annoyance at the obvious attempt to keep her occupied. Not that she wanted a repeat of last night. No, just because she knew it was happening didn’t mean she wanted front row seats. Perhaps Terumi Mei understood that and was trying to look out for her. She doubted the Mizukage missed much behind her affable demeanor.

“Well, then, I’d like that very much. Thank you.”

They finished eating and she excused herself to go tell Shikamaru where she was going. She ignored the way the shards in her chest shifted and sliced when she noted how close he was sitting to the Mizukage. He glanced up at her as she approached and she let out a breath of relief when he murmured something to Mei before standing to meet her halfway.

“Hey, Hinata. What’s up?” She was aware that others could still hear them, so kept her tone neutral.

“Han-san has offered to show me the botanical gardens. I wanted to let you know so you wouldn’t worry.”

Shikamaru frowned and cut a glance towards Han, who was leaning against the wall by the door, large biceps on display as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Hinata pressed her lips together. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

He hesitated, then sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Just...keep your head about you, alright? And be back fairly early, we still have talks tomorrow.” His gaze was direct and she could read the words he wasn’t saying in his eyes.

It wasn’t very often Hinata got angry with her friends, but that bit of hypocrisy was just a little too much. She doubted he and the Mizukage would be calling it an early night or ‘keeping their heads’ about them. “Well, as you’ll be busy yourself, I doubt I’ll disturb you if I arrive late. Don’t worry, Shikamaru-taicho, I’ll still perform admirably as a representative to Konohagakure.”

He winced at her cold tone and opened his mouth to say something. Then he noted the interested looks they were receiving and snapped it shut. She barely managed not to wince as she replayed her words in her mind. Mortification sent her cheeks to burning and she bowed low enough that her hair fell forward to cover them.

“Thank you for your understanding, Shikamaru-taicho. I will return before eleven.” She turned and fled before she could make an even bigger fool out of herself.

The gardens were beautiful and Han was pleasant company. Both went a long ways towards calming her. Honestly, she hadn’t said anything too scandalous or cruel and it wasn’t like Shikamaru wouldn’t understand why she was acting a little off. She was sure he held no illusions as to how she felt. This might even be his way of letting her down without having to say it out loud and embarrass them both.

She stopped to admire a bush that was fairly bursting with pink blossoms. Han knew a lot about the plants and they had a long conversation about gardening. It turned out they both had a green thumb and liked to grow things in their off time.

“This one’s poisonous and found only in these gardens and the swampier areas of Water.”

Hinata studied the innocuous, glossy green leaves of the plant he was pointing at. “Leave it to a ninja village to put poisonous plants in their gardens,” she said softly and he laughed.

It was a nice sound, low and rumbling and quite seductive, which she was sure was purposeful. She turned and studied him. He was handsome, in a rugged sort of way. Sturdy and warm, with an interesting face. For a moment she considered it. Just leaning forward and kissing him, then inviting him back to her room.

He saw her contemplation and an answering interest burned in his eyes. It would be nice, she knew. He would probably be quite good at it, and kind afterward. Maybe she’d even feel better at the end and less like the sweet girl that men only looked at when their family started insisting they think about marriage, or when they thought her perceived innocence would be fun to ruin for a night.

She looked away with a rueful twist of her lips. No. That just wasn’t her. If she wasn’t feeling attached to someone else, maybe. But her heart just couldn’t bear the thought of being with somebody that wasn’t _him,_ not yet.

When she looked back over at Han he seemed thoughtful instead of annoyed and her shoulders relaxed. He turned the discussion back to the sneaky ways in which the gardens had been made deadly along with beautiful and she allowed the moment to pass with a feeling of profound relief.

000

Shikamaru paced his room and tried to look less like he was contemplating starting a war with Kiri by strangling their kage than he was feeling. She was sitting cross-legged on his bed, watching with an expression of amusement that just made him angrier.

“If he sleeps with her under false pretenses -”

Mei rolled her eyes. “He won’t. He’s a gentleman, you know, and I told him not to do more than take her for a walk and hold her hand. Plus, his interest isn’t faked.”

Shikamaru had relaxed for a moment at her words, but the last bit, said with a faux-casualness while she studied her nails, made his whole body stiffen.

“What?”

“Well, I noticed that he watched her closely during dinner the first night. He seemed quite taken with her, so I told him to go ahead and pursue it, though he couldn’t sleep with her until after we returned from our little field trip and she understood the invitation itself was a ruse. I’m not a monster, you know. I wouldn’t do that to a fellow kunoichi.”

Shikamaru gaped at her. That was - well, that was not something he wanted to hear. Han was essentially out there wooing his girl while he was stuck here, pretending to be having some torrid whirlwind affair with someone who was currently driving him inexorably closer towards war-starting murder. He ignored the way his brain unhelpfully reminded him that Hinata wasn’t ‘his’ anything.

Mei shrugged gracefully, gorgeous shoulders momentarily pulling his eye with the movement. “Well, it wasn’t like you were making a move, were you? You can’t just expect a talented, smart woman like Hinata-san to wait around while you hem and haw over your feelings, can you?”

“You - you’ve only hung around us for a few days!”

“Call it a woman’s intuition.” She paused. “Plus, Gaara-kun may have said something about it in our last correspondence.”

“Are you telling me that the Kazekage _gossiped_ with you?”

“Gossip is such an ugly word.”

“Oh my god.”

“And on that note, I’m going back to my rooms to get my beauty rest.”

She stood, taking a moment to muss up her hair and pull her dress slightly askew. He was still just staring at her, at a loss for words, when she opened the door. Mei turned and winked at him. “Thanks for the good time, Shika-kun,” she purred, eyes dancing as he sputtered.

That woman was a total menace. The worst part of it all was that Shikamaru was pretty sure she was right about his indecisiveness. He hated her.

He settled onto his bed and waited for the tell-tale sounds of Hinata arriving back into her room, only relaxing when he heard her door open and then close followed by a light thump. There were no voices, so he assumed she was alone. That was good because if she hadn’t arrived by eleven, or had brought Han with her, he would have had to intervene.

Not because he was jealous (though he was), but because he couldn’t let her sleep with someone who was just using her. Despite the Mizukage’s assurances, he had a gnawing sort of worry churning in his gut. What if Hinata developed feelings for this Han character and then he broke her heart?

Shikamaru turned and shoved his face into a pillow. This whole mission seemed specifically designed to make him lose his mind. Or maybe that was just the woman he was partnered with.

He never thought he’d look back on his time in ANBU with fond wistfulness, but a nice, danger-filled assassination mission that could spark war if he misstepped was starting to sound positively cushy.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru and Hinata go to take-down another Ketsueki base. Feelings are still happening and troublesome.

Hinata looked back one last time before Kiri disappeared behind the trees towering over the curved path. She turned around and put her attention on keeping an eye out for threats and did her best to keep her gaze away from the two figures ahead of her.

Shikamaru and the Mizukage had been spending all their small amount of free time in one another’s company the past four days. Mostly in Shikamaru’s room. Hinata had taken to walking the city with Han by her side.

Han was a good guide, and though she saw the interest in his gaze at times, he never pushed. Now, however, they were the third wheels (fourth wheels?) in their trip to Mei’s holiday house. Hinata would have rather stayed in Kiri, but it hadn’t been an option.

Han had asked her to come as his guest and despite the knowing looks people had been shooting them ever since she’d said yes. Hinata and Shikamaru couldn’t just separate, after all. They were on a mission, and she assumed once he and Mei were done...vacationing, they’d be getting on with the takedown of Ketsueki.

Han was silent next to her for the first half of the day, probably sensing that she wasn’t up for conversation, heart too heavy for the pretense of lightness. They stopped for lunch next to a small pond surrounded by leafy trees and ferns. Shikamaru and Mei sat on a log a few feet from where Hinata and Han had settled on a large boulder that jutted out into the water.

“Here,” Han said, then leaned down over the water, the top half of his body disappearing from view.

“Han! You’ll fall in.” She reached forward and wrapped her hand around his forearm, stomach swooping at the way the muscles tensed under her hand. His arms were very attractive and she wondered, not for the first time, why she kept putting up a wall between them.

Then she glanced at Shikamaru, whose gaze was focused on where her hand was latched onto Han’s arm. Then his eyes moved up to meet her own and the swooping in her stomach turned into what she was fairly certain were hundreds of butterflies beating against her insides. Ah, that was why.

Han straightened and she tore her attention back to him, lowering her hand to her side. He grinned and held out a large white flower. “A Samurai Lily,” he said and she brightened and carefully took it from him.

“I’ve never seen one up close.” She leaned in and breathed in its delicate fragrance. “Thank you, Han.”

He cleared his throat, then reached out and took it back from her. “I thought it would look nice in your hair.”

Hinata knew she was blushing when he gently tucked the lily behind her ear, but it had been a long time since somebody had treated her so gently. Naruto had, of course, been prone to such things, but towards the end, he’d been distracted and not around much.

Han was just so sincere. She wished she could return his feelings on more than just a baser level. It wouldn’t be fair to use him to alleviate her loneliness, though.

“There.” His voice was gruff when he pulled his hand back, though he let his fingers trail through her hair as they lowered.

Hinata smiled at him and leaned back. “How does it -”

“I’m going to scout ahead.” Hinata blinked and looked over at Shikamaru, but only caught sight of his tense back before he blurred away.

Hinata bit her lip and glanced at Mei, worried that she’d be upset by his abruptness. She just had a small smirk on her face, though, and when she saw Hinata looking, she winked. Not for the first time that week, Hinata had the distinct impression that she was missing something.

They traveled for another half day before they stopped to break again. Hinata frowned when nobody moved to sit down. Instead, they all stood in a circle, attention on the Mizukage, whose arms were crossed over her chest. Shikamaru wouldn’t meet Hinata’s gaze when she sent him a questioning glance and unease trickled down her spine.

“This is where we part ways,” Mei announced and Hinata’s eyes widened.

“Part ways?”

Mei nodded. “Yep. I’ll be taking a page out of Gaara’s book and creating clones of you two to bring with us. Shikamaru, as discussed, if you head east from here you’ll come across the valley that holds the main poppy fields. I ask that you ensure that the civilians they’ve been using to work the fields get to safety.”

Shikamaru straightened and then bowed, expression blank in a way it hadn’t been around the Mizukage since their first night. Hinata looked back and forth between them, then glanced at Han, who was staring at her intently.

He leaned over and said, “I wasn’t faking. I think you’re an amazing woman.”

Hinata’s eyes widened and her heartbeat quickened, but before she could reply, Mei and her guards were gone. Hinata stood in the clearing, stunned and reviewing what she’d just learned. She felt like a fool. Of course, the trip to the vacation house was a cover.

She’d been so unsettled by Shikamaru’s dalliances with the Mizukage that she’d let it distract her. Hinata visibly cringed at the thought. Letting personal feelings affect her perspective on a mission was an embarrassing mistake.

“Hinata?” Shikamaru’s voice was low and when she glanced over at him, he was studying her with obvious wariness.

Hinata wondered how stupid he thought she was for not figuring it out. The hurt twisting in her chest - why hadn’t he trusted her? - followed soon after. She ignored it since it was feelings like that one that had left her blindsided.

“What’s the plan, Shikamaru-taicho?” Her voice sounded tired even to herself and he flinched.

“Hinata, whatever you’re thinking, it’s wrong, okay? I just -” he ran a hand over the top of his head and let out a frustrated breath. “We really don’t have time to talk right now, but we will. Just forget everything you think you know about this whole situation and please trust me.”

Hinata pressed her lips together. Trusting Shikamaru with the mission was no problem for her. He was the one who seemed to lack trust in her abilities. She had thought they were partners. She supposed she was wrong.

Instead of saying all of that out loud, she nodded jerkily, once. “Of course. What do you need me to do?”

000

Shikamaru crouched over the map they’d drawn out of the valley spread out beneath them. They were sitting on top of a large dam that held back a huge reservoir on the other side of the mountains. It had taken them most of the night to get to it and then they’d spent the daylight hours staying out of sight while Hinata scouted the area.

Hinata was stiff beside him, Byakugan activated while she scanned the area again. “I think we got everything,” she said in a low voice and her eyes faded back into their usual white.

She still wouldn’t look him in the eye, but Shikamaru couldn’t think about that at the moment. The problem in front of them was much larger than the ones they’d previously faced on this mission. He dropped into his thinking pose.

There were four poppy fields spread out across the valley. Each had a squat, square building that held the civilian workers who had been working in the fields during the day. According to Mei, they were more like slaves than anything else, tricked into indentured servitude and worked nearly to death.

“I don’t understand,” Hinata said in a pained voice.

Shikamaru knew she’d seen terrible things via her Byakugan while giving civilian and guard counts, though she hadn’t shared them with him. “How were they able to set this up? It’s a whole network, and...” she shook her head. “Somebody should have noticed.”

“Somebody did notice,” he said in a low, soothing tone. After a moment of hesitation, he laid a hand on her forearm. She glanced at it and didn’t pull away, probably too upset by what she’d seen to worry about their personal issues.

“They were able to get this far because they had the help of dirty politicians. Mizukage-sama said that this is all private land and that the owner told her shinobi to stay off of it while they ran some sort of natural experiments to introduce a new plant species.”

Shikamaru sighed. “As for the rest...it all happened quickly. It was well planned out. Honestly, I think they underestimated the Hidden Villages. They thought they wouldn’t do anything about it without being paid by somebody, as long as nobody messed directly with the villages themselves. Or that even if one did, the others wouldn’t work together to take them out across the nations.”

Hinata’s lips pressed together. “Five years ago, they would have been right.”

“Yeah.” Shikamaru shrugged. “But it’s not five years ago, and we’re here, doing something about it.”

Her expression cleared and she turned towards him, expression both grateful and determined. Shikamaru wanted to kiss her. She was only a few inches away and when she got this way, lit up with an inner fire, ready to protect those around her...well.

Her eyes widened and her cheeks tinged pink. It was only for a second, but she leaned towards him, breath leaving her on a soft exhale. Shikamaru stayed still, heart thundering in his chest, knowing they should wait but just wanting it so much, especially after the past four days when she’d barely looked at him.

She frowned and turned away and he exhaled shakily and tried to convince himself it was for the best. They only had a few hours to get this done and then they’ll have cut off the limbs of the Ketsueki. They wouldn’t have any income to fund the forces they were attempting to train in Iwa, not after Shikamaru and Hinata had taken out their largest money-making outposts.

He stared down at the map. “Okay. We’ve got four fields, each with twelve to fifteen civilians in a building. Two guards - probably the Westerners. We need to kill the guards, get the civilians to safety, and destroy the fields, all within -” he looked at the sky. “Three hours.”

To his surprise, Hinata giggled. She slapped a hand over her mouth and he glanced over. Her eyes were wide and her shoulders were shaking. “Something funny?”

She shook her head, then paused and nodded, lowering her hands. “Sorry, it’s just, you sounded so annoyed.” She bit her lip. “Most people would be panicking but you’re just...”

Shikamaru’s lips curved up into a smile. “Grumpy?” he supplied and she nodded and laughed again.

He shook his head, chest warming with fondness. Most people were annoyed by his crankiness in deadly situations. It used to drive his ANBU team nuts. “Well, I’m not much of a panicker. I spend too much time with Naruto, I’m immune to troublesome situations.”

She smiled and his stomach fluttered when he snuck a look at her. The moonlight was bright on her face, her lit profile a sharp contrast to the grey stone that was a backdrop behind her. She was dressed in the leather Haoru jumpsuit, hood pushed back. Her eyes were sparkling and Shikamaru was actually stuck in a moment of suspended disbelief that any one person could be so beautiful.

She took a deep breath, sobering, then looked down at the map. “So what are we going to do?”

Shikamaru cleared his throat and followed her gaze. His mind had already been working through a solution, though it was kind of crazy. “The Mizukage won’t be happy, but...we’re going to get the civilians out, and then we’re going to flood the valley.”

Hinata’s brow furrowed. “Flood...”

He patted the stone beneath his feet and her eyes widened. “Shikamaru! That - that will destroy the whole valley!”

He shrugged. “The towns that were here are abandoned, kicked out by that politician. It’ll be fine.”

“But - but the animals...” Hinata trailed off, eyes wide and face drawn in distress.

Shikamaru sighed and looked up at the sky, reworking his plans. “We’ll do it in a way that they have time to get out. It’s almost winter so there shouldn’t be any babies so young that they can’t run. Okay?”

She relaxed and her smile was wide and soft and so thankful that he had the weirdest urge to stand up and scream just to let all the bubbling feelings it caused out. “Thank you, Shikamaru.”

He cleared his throat and looked away. “Yeah. Well. Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll set the explosives up at the spots on the dam where it’s structurally weakest. They’ll be timed to go off in intervals, so that the flooding is slow at first, giving wildlife and any stray civilians time to escape.”

Hinata nodded, face scrunched into a mask of concentration. “Once that’s done, we’ll start working our way through the buildings, killing the guards and instructing the civilians on where to run. We won’t be able to use any chakra, as we’ll be leaving witnesses. That’s why we’ll take each one out together despite the time constraints.”

They spent some time deciding how, exactly, they would hit each base. Once Shikamaru was sure they were on the same page, he sealed their plans and tucked them away.

“Okay. I’m going to set up the explosive devices. You keep watch.”

It took him about thirty minutes. They were civilian made things with wires and timers and various settings that he’d spent a lot of time learning how to use before leaving for the mission. He set four of them at various parts of the dam before joining Hinata at the bottom.

The dam rose high into the air above them, a hulking shadow in the gloom of the quarter-moon. Hinata followed his gaze and sighed. “It’s so big. I can’t believe we’re going to destroy it.”

Shikamaru grimaced. Yeah, Mei would be upset, but he actually felt a little thrill of satisfaction at the small revenge. “Well, it’s not ideal, but it’s the best idea we’ve got.”

Hinata reached over and squeezed his hand. “It’s a good plan, Shikamaru.”

She turned away from him and pulled her hood up before he could get a good look at her expression. Her shoulders were hunched, though, as though she was maybe regretting reaching out to him, and he sighed. Romance was such a pain.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

The first building was about half a mile from the dam and they had to sneak through one of the fields of waving, red flowering plants to get to it. Shikamaru pressed his lips together.

He knew that some of the drugs from this operation had already made it into Fire Country, and into his village. Ino had been dealing with an influx of addicts in their forces and when she talked about it her voice always went low and sad.

He pushed his anger to the side and focused on completing his mission. Get in, kill the guards without giving away that he was a shinobi, and direct the civilians to safety. All before the dam exploded. They could do that.

He stopped at the edge of the field and signaled for Hinata to do the same. They were both assuming that all the guards were the samurai-like soldiers since he doubted they’d leave their cash cow unprotected.

Hinata crouched beside him, looking deadly and almost otherworldly, clad in leather, silent, and the cowl covering her features. He knew she’d activated her Byakugan when she brought her hands up and after some hand signals from her, he knew that one guard was standing at the window, the other at the other end of the structure.

That meant there were civilians between the door and the second guard. Shikamaru sighed, then after some thought, leaned against Hinata and whispered a few curt instructions into her ear.

He edged away from her and made his way around the field, slipping into some trees and stepping around the traps the enemy had set up there. They weren’t badly done, but he was a master at them and wouldn’t be taken in by anything but another master.

He took a deep breath and waited for Hinata’s pale hand to come up and let him know that the guard at the window was looking the other way. When the signal came he darted across the open yard, heart in his throat, but nothing happened. He remained unspotted. A hop over another trap, and he was at the door.

He knelt down and studied it, secure in the knowledge that the guard at the window couldn’t see him in the shadows. Shikamaru took in the glint of wire and spent ten seconds disabling a trigger for god knows what nasty surprise.

Then he stood and double checked that his cowl was in place and lifted his hand in a signal. _I’m going in._ He lifted a foot and kicked in the door. The wood around the jam splintered and the door flew inward but stayed on its hinges, slamming against the wall to the left.

Glass breaking and a grunt of pain told him that Hinata was able to get the guard at the window with one of her daggers. Shikamaru took in the room with one sweep of his eyes, already running towards the second guard.

It was a woman, features bland in the darkness. She was reaching for her sword and Shikamaru threw a throwing star at her, another rumored Haoru favorite. It embedded into her hand and she lost her grip on the handle of her weapon and swore.

Around him, various men and women were sitting up in their bedrolls, gasping and screaming. He ignored them, feet landing lightly between their bedding. The woman had already recovered and was pulling the sword out of its scabbard with her left, uninjured hand.

If she used a chakra-enhanced blow, there would be collateral damage. Shikamaru’s fingers itched with the urge to do a hand sign and freeze her, but he resisted. Instead, he threw another star. It missed, but she jerked out of the way and it bought him another second.

He jumped the last three feet, over the head of a young man, and swung his body into a roundhouse kick. She blocked it with a forearm and he dropped to the ground, crouching and drawing the long dagger at his thigh.

“Who the hell are you?” she snarled and he gritted his teeth when she knocked the dagger out of the way with the flat of her sword with a stinging blow.

She was fast and hand-to-hand had never been Shikamaru’s strong point, and it was all harder without chakra. He kept hold of the dagger even though his hand had gone numb after her hit.

He slammed the throwing star he’d had ready in his other hand down into her foot and she screamed. Shikamaru stood and stabbed forward in a fluid motion, the dagger burying itself in her stomach. Her eyes widened and she made a choking sound.

He pulled it out and dragged the blade across her throat. She fell to the ground, gurgling, and he spun, ready to assist Hinata if she needed it. When he looked over, though, she was standing over the body of the other guard, tense and ready, looking so far removed from the sweet girl he knew was under the disguise that for a moment he thought he was actually looking at a member of Haoru.

Then someone screamed and he was forced to pay attention to their mission again. “Quiet,” he snapped.

Around him, the whimpers and cries that had started cut off. His eyes swept over the room and he wrinkled his nose when he took in the smell of unwashed bodies and blood and desperation.

He lowered his voice and did his best to look menacing. “We’re here to free you. Do what we say and we’ll let you live.”

Another round of whimpers, but nobody argued. “You’re going to wait here for exactly forty-five minutes. Then, you’re going to move as quickly as you can towards a ridge to the east.” He pointed in the correct direction. “There’s a trail there. Take it. It will lead to the main road that will bring you to a village if you travel north. There will be people waiting there to take you in. Do not leave earlier or later than stated, or you will die. Do you understand?”

Nods and cut off sobs were his only answer. Shikamaru really, really hated this mission. He turned and strode as dramatically as he could from the shelter, Hinata falling in behind him.

They only had forty-five minutes to take out the rest of the guards. That’s how long he’d asked the people to wait before moving since he was sure a crowd of refugees crashing through the forest would give them away. He sighed and promised himself a week of sleep once this was over. Then maybe he’d go and hug a few kittens to remind himself he wasn’t actually a horrible person.

A small hand rested on his arm and squeezed once before disappearing. Shikamaru relaxed and let out a breath at the small gesture. If Hinata thought he wasn’t awful, then he was probably doing okay.

The clearing of the next two buildings went about the same, though one of the swordswomen did succeed in giving Shikamaru a shallow wound on his side. They weren’t expecting somebody to attack them, apparently, and he wondered if they were so far removed from the other bases that they hadn’t received news of what was happening to them. He assumed from the conversation Hinata had heard in Tea that they’d taken out a major communication hub when they destroyed that particular base.

Just as they reached the last building a huge, percussive _boom_ echoed across the valley. They both stopped and looked back at the plume of dust and smoke coming from the dam. Fucking civilian grade explosive devices. He knew for a fact there was supposed to be another thirty minutes left on the timer.

Screams sounded across the valley, along with the sound of tumbling boulders and splashing water. The door to the last building burst open and two men holding swords in their hands ran outside.

Shikamaru kissed the element of surprise goodbye that had been making their targets fairly easy to take out when their eyes landed on him and Hinata. One lifted his sword and it glowed blue with chakra. He brought it down and a blade of blue light ripped through the dirt between them.

Shikamaru dodged right and Hinata went left. He came up from his roll just in time to see the man stumble backward, two daggers thrown by Hinata sticking from the side of his neck. The second man was already swinging at her and his heart lodged in his throat.

“H-Kiku!” he yelled, barely remembering to use her fake Haoru name.

She leaped back at his warning and the man barely missed her. Shikamaru was forced to turn his attention to the second man, somehow still standing despite the blood welling around the daggers still in his neck. He ducked out of the way of a swing of his sword and somersaulted between the Westerner’s legs, twisting around and cutting through his left hamstring.

The man twisted as he fell and Shikamaru gritted his teeth when a burning sensation flared at his hip. He’d been hit. He kicked out and hit the man’s wrist and his sword went flying. Their fight became a rolling, tumbling wrestling match after that.

Shikamaru gritted his teeth when the man got an arm around his throat and pulled him back against his chest. He choked and clawed at his arm, fighting his instincts to activate a jutsu or augment his strength with chakra. Instead, he reached back and latched onto one of the daggers still embedded in his neck.

He twisted and dug it into the further flesh before yanking it towards him. He heard the light _thump thump thump_ of blood splashing against his hood. The noise the man made was choked and horrible and after a few seconds his grip on Shikamaru loosened and they both fell back, limp.

Shikamaru rolled to his feet after pulling in a few deep gulps of air. His hip, side, and throat were throbbing in pain, but he ignored it. He could see a group of civilians huddled at the door and he could hear the loud splashing of water falling from a great distance and hitting the ground on the other side of the valley. His attention, however, was pulled to Hinata, who was limping slightly and circling around the other swordsman, who had multiple daggers embedded in him and a ragged cut down the side of his face.

He still had his sword. Shikamaru reached under his cloak and grabbed the last of his throwing stars, wishing he was a little more practiced with them. He threw them and the man’s attention moved to him.

It was enough. Hinata darted forward, all deadly grace despite her obvious injuries, and jammed her dagger into his stomach, then twisted it pulled it to the side. She didn’t quite move out of the way of his wild swing and Shikamaru gritted his teeth at her small gasp of pain when it opened a slice lengthwise along her forearm.

The man fell to his knees and dropped his weapon, hands moving to his stomach before he fell to the ground. Hinata stared down at him, hand still clutching her bloody dagger. It took everything in him not to stride over there and wrap his arms around her, but he knew that wouldn’t be expected behavior for the Haoru.

He took a deep breath and turned towards the civilians, giving them instructions on how to leave the valley quickly. They scrambled to obey. He then moved over to Hinata, who was cleaning her dagger and leaned towards her. “Are you mobile?”

She nodded, once, and sheathed her dagger. “Alright. Let’s go make sure the other civilians have cleared out. The next explosion should be going off in about twenty minutes.” Another nod from her was all he got in reply.

They ran at a civilian pace to the other three cabins. Two of the groups had cleared out at the explosion, but one of them was still waiting for the allotted time to pass. Apparently, Haoru were more terrifying than possible drowning. They looked more than a little relieved when Hinata told them to run in a cold tone.

Shikamaru didn’t miss that they were overly-thin beneath their clothes, or that they all sported various injuries. He had been feeling uncomfortable about the cold manner of the assassinations they’d been doing, but after once again seeing the victims of Ketsueki, he felt a little better.

He and Hinata limped up the side of the mountain, cresting the ridge just as another explosion sounded. They sat atop some boulders and bandaged their wounds, watching as the dam fell under the last two detonations. Water came roaring out of the newly made gap, rushing into the valley and taking out trees and poppy fields alike. Shikamaru watched with a sort of exhausted detachment when the buildings the civilians had been kept in were destroyed in the rush of water.

Hinata had a swollen ankle and a large, nasty bruise on one thigh, along with a few contusions from the swordsman’s blade and the cut on her arm. Shikamaru knew his throat would be badly bruised, but the cuts on his hip and in his side were more annoying than life-threatening.

Shikamaru grabbed her hand and ignored the way his body was shaking in the aftermath of the adrenaline and fear and rage that had flooded his system by turns that night. “You did good,” he said.

He couldn’t see her face, which was still hidden by her cowl, but she leaned against him, briefly. “You, too,” she finally said in a subdued tone. After a moment she gently pulled her hand from his so that she could fuss with the bandage on his side.

After that they began to make their way towards Mei’s vacation home, leaving what used to be a valley behind.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Shikamaru report into Mei, and then have a real conversation about feelings and stuff. Also, there is fluff.

Hinata was so tired she was having a hard time focusing on the landscape around her. She and Shikamaru had stopped and changed out of the Haoru disguises, and Hinata had patched up their injuries with as much chakra as she dared to use. They had washed the blood and dirt off in a nearby stream without saying a word, the silence heavy between them.

Hinata was heartsick, both at the amount of killing she’d been forced to do the past few weeks and the abuse she’d seen the civilians going through at the hands of their guards. They’d had  _ whips,  _ and some of the workers were barely older than children. How could anybody be willing to put their own people through such things? 

On top of that was her disintegrating relationship with Shikamaru. Hinata supposed it had been foolish to assume loving him from afar would be similar to the situation with Naruto. For one, it was different when the person knew how you felt. 

She also wasn’t a child, as she’d been during much of her infatuation and then love for Naruto. Hinata was a woman, and that made pining a wholly different experience. Especially when the object of her affections was her captain, somebody who could not and should not put her feelings ahead of the mission. 

She shook her head and focused on keeping her eyes open. Hinata was ready to curl up on a bed and stop thinking about anything for a while.

Her thigh and arm were throbbing by the time Han dropped out of a tree in front of them. She’d spent most of her chakra healing Shikamaru, much to his annoyance. Han frowned and put a hand on her arm.

“Hinata. Are you injured?”

“Not - not badly. Just need rest,” she said, unable to muster the energy for more than the perfunctory reply.

Shikamaru frowned at her, then glared at the arm Han put around her back. Hinata was too drained to try and figure out what it meant, though, so she just leaned against Han, grateful for the support. 

“Come on. There’s a tunnel that leads to the house. Mei-sama felt you coming and is ready to dismiss her clones.”

Hinata followed him without thought, eyelids, and limbs heavy. They came to a group of trees, and she had to fight the urge to cry when Han got onto his stomach and wiggled into a hole between two roots. This was going to hurt.

Still, she did it, biting down on any sounds of pain. Shikamaru made a distressed noise when she winced, but she was already halfway into the dirty, musty hole and couldn’t reassure him. It opened up into a slightly larger tunnel, though she had to hunch down to avoid hitting her head.

She worried her bottom lip and hoped Shikamaru wouldn’t reopen his wounds. They shuffled along like that for what seemed like forever before they reached the end, which was blocked by a large wooden board.

Han knocked on it in a specific pattern, and after a pause, there was a scraping noise, and then light was piercing through the newly revealed entrance. Hinata stumbled out after Han, taking in the neat but cluttered room, which had shelves full of non-perishable items along the walls and stacks of unopened crates in the middle.

The door had been a shelf of canned goods that had been pushed aside to reveal the hole. Terumi Mei and Ao were standing in the room, watching them closely.

Hinata turned to Shikamaru as soon as he entered behind her and reached for his shirt. He sighed but didn’t protest. She breathed out in relief when she saw the pink flesh of his newly-healed wounds hadn’t torn. 

“The mission was a success,” Shikamaru said to Mei. He put a hand on Hinata’s arm and frowned at the way she was swaying. “We were both injured. Hinata lost a lot of blood and spent a good chunk of chakra healing me.”

“Hmm. Alright. I’ll take care of her,” Mei said.

Shikamaru stiffened, and Hinata leaned forward and rested her head against his shoulder. The room was spinning around her, and she needed the anchor. He made a low sound in the back of his throat and ran his hand up and down her uninjured arm.

“First, tell me why we heard the sound of explosions,” Mei said in a no-nonsense tone. Right now, she was the Mizukage, and Shikamaru didn’t argue.

“We blew up the dam and flooded the valley.”

There was a long moment of silence, and then Mei snorted. “I thought we were being  subtle.”

Hinata felt Shikamaru shrug, the material of his shirt soft against her forehead. “It was all we had time for. Don’t worry, the civilians got out, and all they saw were two Haoru agents. We used civilian munitions, too.”

“Right. Well. I’ll get a detailed report later. Let me get your teammate cleaned up.”

Shikamaru hesitated but didn’t protest when Mei took hold of Hinata and gently led her towards the stairs. Hinata gritted her teeth but gamely climbed them. She was vaguely aware of the simple and elegant decor of the house, but she kept most of her focus on putting one foot in front of the other.

Blood loss and chakra depletion did not make a fun combination. They climbed some more stairs and then turned left down a hallway with plush carpeting. “Alright. This is your room. Come on, keep walking, into the bathroom, there you go.”

Hinata blinked against the harsh light reflecting off the blue tile. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror - too pale, bags under her eyes, hair coming out of its braid - before Mei turned her and began undressing her with efficient movements.

“Mi-Mizukage-sama, you shouldn’t be -”

To her surprise, Mei laughed. “Call me Mei when it’s just the two of us. And right now, you’re my teammate. It’s my responsibility to help you. Can you lift your arms? Good.”

Hinata’s chest warmed at Mei’s words, though she was too tired to respond. Mei sucked a breath of air in through her teeth when she unrolled the bandage on Hinata's arm. “This is nasty. We’ll clean it; then I’ll see what I can do. Okay, pants next.”

She made tutting noises over the bruised mess of Hinata’s thigh before gently pushing her into the large standing shower and directing her onto the one seat. The water was warm and perfect, and Hinata hadn’t even realized she’d been shivering until it hit her skin.

“Oh,” she breathed. 

“You must have lost a good amount of blood,” Mei said, and Hinata thought she sounded a little worried. 

“I took a blood replenishing pill. I’m already feeling a little better,” she assured, and Mei just hummed, not sounding convinced.

“Here, lean your head back.”

Mei patiently took her hair out of its braid before wetting it and starting to work a floral-scented shampoo into it. “I hope you aren’t holding keeping the charade of us sleeping together against your captain.”

Hinata could only muster the smallest bit of confusion. “Charade?”

Mei’s fingers stilled in her hair, and she sighed. “The idiot didn’t tell you?”

“No,” Hinata whispered. 

Why wouldn’t he tell her? Did he want her to think he’d slept with Mei as a way to bow out of...whatever it was that was happening between them? And what Hinata had walked in on hadn’t seemed faked. They had been kissing.

“Well, he probably didn’t tell you that I had to threaten to send a complaint against the two of you to your Hokage to get him to agree not to tell you, either.”

Hinata frowned. “So he wanted to tell me?”

“He did.” Hinata was too tired to explore how she felt about all of this new information, so she just closed her eyes. She didn’t even have the energy to feel embarrassed about Mei cleaning off the rest of her.

She somehow ended up dried and in pajamas that didn’t belong to her. Her bed was soft and comfortable, and she was already half-asleep. Still, when Mei set a softly glowing hand to the cut on her arm, she couldn’t quite stop the sound of surprise that left her.

“I didn’t know you were a medic,” Hinata said, words slurring slightly.

“I’m not. The Kiri I grew up, you either learned these things or you didn’t last long.” She said it directly like it wasn’t a big deal, and Hinata ached for the childhood that Mei had lived through.

“That must have been hard.” Her eyes fluttered shut. “I’m sorry that it happened to you.”

Mei’s hand paused in its movements, and she snorted. “You mean that, don’t you? You sure are being nice to the woman who you thought was banging your man.”

“‘S not my man,” she mumbled.

“Uh huh.” Mei sounded less than convinced, but Hinata was asleep before she could respond.

The next morning it was bright and warm for the time of year, which Hinata thought was a stroke of luck in an otherwise miserable existence. Mei’s healing had helped, but her arm and thigh were still sore, and she had a headache from using too much chakra.

After some thought, she decided to wait on finishing her healing until she’d had more to eat at the very least. She left her room after dressing, this time taking a moment to appreciate its simple elegance. The bed was large and soft with a carved hardwood frame. The colors were soothing, and the carpet was thick and fluffy beneath her feet.

The rest of the house was similar, and she felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. Hinata found the stairs and followed the sounds of voices and the smell of food in the kitchen. Mei, Han, Shikamaru, Ao, and Chojuro were all at the large oak table. Sunlight streamed in through the large windows behind them.

Shikamaru was slumped over, expression grumpy, and Mei was laughing at him. Her guards were more relaxed than usual, though they still seemed ready to defend their Mizukage at any moment. Han looked thoughtful, and maybe a little sad. Conversation petered out when they saw her at the door, and she shifted uncomfortably. Shikamaru stood, and his chair scraped across the floor.

“Good morning,” she said. 

“Hinata.” Shikamaru crossed the room, eyes moving over her, brow furrowed. “Should you be up? How are you feeling?”

Her stomach grumbled, and she blushed. “Um. Hungry.”

Han laughed, and Shikamaru scowled. “Come on, sit down.” 

He led her over to the chair next to his with a hand to the small of her back and pulled it out for her. Hinata blinked at him owlishly before carefully taking a seat. She watched as he filled her plate, disconcerted by his sudden attentiveness after nearly a week of silence.

“Thank you,” she said in a soft tone. 

She glanced up at Mei, who winked at her, then ducked her head and concentrated on eating. Conversation picked back up between Mei and her guards. They were discussing plans for a spring festival, and the whole scene was very domestic. 

She was surprised by how much she consumed, and it wasn’t until most of her plate was empty that she felt eyes on her. A glance around proved her correct. Both Shikamaru and Han were watching her closely. She cleared her throat and set her chopsticks down when there was a break in conversation.

“Mei-sama, thank you very much for your assistance last night.”

Mei leaned back in her chair, and her pale fingers idly played across her teacup. “Of course, Hinata. As I said, you’re my teammate in this.”

Hinata smiled. Mei was a good person, and Kiri was lucky to have her as a kage. “Still, thank you.”

“Shikamaru gave me his full report earlier. Are you up to giving me your version?”

Hinata cleared her throat. “Yes, Mei-sama.” 

She recited the events of the night before with as much detail as she could remember. When she finished, Mei let out a long breath. “I’m so relieved that’s over. I’ll be putting some focus on...taking care of the man who owned the property. He won’t have a chance to build his operations back up.”

Hinata nodded once. “Yes. That would be best.”

“And I suppose I need to decide if we’ll be rebuilding that dam.”

Shikamaru slumped down, and Hinata blushed. Mei waved a hand in the air. “Eh, the Daimyo should have kept better control over his politicians. This can be a lesson to him.”

Hinata bit her lip but nodded. Still, they’d done a lot of damage, and she had a feeling Kakashi would not be happy about it. 

Mei stretched and sighed when her back popped. “Alright. I think we should stay here until tomorrow morning so that you two can recover; then we’ll head back. I’ll come up with an excuse for you to stay an extra few days. I’m not sending you off at half-capacity.”

Hinata smiled at her concern and nodded while Shikamaru mumbled out an agreement. Hinata went back to her breakfast, and she had barely finished eating when Shikamaru spoke.

“Hinata. Can I speak to you alone?”

She swallowed and set her chopsticks down. “Of course. I wanted to check your wounds, anyway.”

Hinata ignored the looks from the others and followed him out of the room. Eaten had somewhat rejuvenated her, though her injuries were still stiff and sore. They went out the back door into a small courtyard full of lush plants that didn’t require much maintenance to flourish. 

Shikamaru sat on a stone bench with a mess of ferns growing behind it, and she took the spot next to him. He was watching her closely, eyes darting across her face, and she looked down.

“Um, can I see your -” she gestured towards his side.

“Yeah, sure.” 

Unlike last night, they weren’t in a desperate situation when he pulled his shirt up, which meant it was difficult to keep her gaze from lingering. His stomach was toned, and his skin was soft to the touch when she laid her palm over the long line of pink flesh on his side. The muscles in his abdomen fluttered at her light touch.

She pushed the healing along a little more but was careful only to use a few pulses of chakra. She lowered her hand to her side when she finished, and Shikamaru cleared his throat. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

“Hinata.” His hand covered her own, and she looked up at him.

“Mei-sama told me that she talked to you last night.”

Hinata nodded. “Yes. She told me that she forced you to stay quiet about the plan. I understand why you didn’t tell me.”

A bird fluttered from one branch to another in a tree across the courtyard. “Okay. And did she tell you that it was all an act? That we didn’t sleep together?”

Hinata pulled her hand out from under his and turned her face away. “It’s not any of my business, Shikamaru. You don’t have to explain -”

“Hinata.” His fingers were light on her cheek, and she didn’t resist when he urged her to look at him with a gentle tap. His gaze was direct, almost pleading. “Nothing happened. We didn’t do anything, okay?”

Hinata straightened, and her lips twisted on one side, hurt a heavy weight in her chest. “Don’t lie to me. Please, you don’t have to tell me anything, just don’t lie to me. I can’t stand it.”

He shook his head. “I’m not. Hinata -”

“What I saw wasn’t fake. I could tell. There - there were signs that you had - that you’d been -” She pressed her eyes shut and swallowed past the remembered disappointment of that moment.

“Hinata. Hinata, please look at me.” 

She shook her head, embarrassed by her reaction. “I’m sorry. It’s not - you can do what you want, I’m not upset.”

He sighed and then she felt his palms cup her cheeks. Her eyes flew open and she met his gaze, stunned into stillness at the gesture. His lips pulled up on one side, but his expression was pained.

“She took me by surprise. Yes, I kissed her back, but it was only until my brain caught up with the rest of me. That was it.”

Hinata bit her lip. “But she’s so beautiful. Why would you...”

“I tried the casual sex route after Temari. It didn’t work for me, not after I knew what it was like with somebody I loved. It was just kind of flat, I guess.”

“Oh,” Hinata said, ignoring the pressure in her chest. It’s not like she expected him to say  _ it’s because I’m madly in love with you. _

His expression softened and she swallowed when he moved one of his palms down to the side of her neck. “Hinata. There are things I want to say to you, but they should wait until after the mission when we can give them our full attention.”

Hinata blinked rapidly at the open-ended nature of that statement. That could mean one of two things. Either he was going to tell her he had romantic feelings for her, or he was going to let her down gently.

Her attention was pulled back to him when he sighed deeply. “I can see you making all sorts of assumptions, troublesome woman. Listen, I don’t know what to say, other than, I am feeling more than friendship for you, okay? I just...I know that things between us couldn’t be casual, even if we wanted them to be. Neither of us is that person. And I don’t know if I’m ready to have something serious yet. So, that’s why I want to give it my full attention, okay?”

Hinata’s lips parted at his admission. He was scowling, and his cheeks were tinged pink. “I - okay. Yes. After the mission.”

He dropped his hands and brought one to rub at the back of his neck. “Just so we’re clear, if you find yourself wondering if I’m with other women or thinking about other women for the rest of the mission...the answer is no, okay? So stop being troublesome and giving me the silent treatment.”

He looked so put out that she giggled. His lips twitched even as he continued to glare at her, and she straightened her back and attempted to look serious. “Okay, Shikamaru. And...I feel the same. So, you can stop treating Han so coldly.”

Shikamaru crossed his arms over his chest and slumped. “I don’t trust the guy,” he mumbled.

He looked so adorable that she didn’t stop to think before leaning forward and pressing her lips against his cheek. Hinata chewed the inside of her cheek after she pulled back, wondering if she’d overstepped after his speech about needing time to think. The pleased smile he sent her assured her that he didn’t mind.

They relaxed the rest of the morning, and after a nap, Hinata was able to spend some time on her injuries. It had only taken five minutes of mulling over what Shikamaru had said to decide that she should try not to dwell. They had at least another two weeks left of their mission since the trip to Iwa would take four days.

It would have been more expedient to go there first, then travel to Wind Country and onto Tea and Water. Kakashi had wanted them to build support for the trade route he was trying to build across Earth, Wind, Rain, Fire, and Water (that section was a shipping route) Countries first. Iwa would be more likely to put in resources to keep it secure once the other countries were in favor. 

The next step was expanding from Kiri and Iwa to Cloud, effectively connecting every hidden village in a large loop. The civilian governments would probably utilize them, as well, and the trade would make the hidden villages less reliant on missions for income.

It was a brilliant plan, and Hinata was pleased to be a part of it once she had worked out Kakashi’s long-term strategy. Of course, there was also the small detail that they had needed to save the Iwa chapter of Ketsueki for last. It was better to take out the supply lines before letting the army know you were there, after all.

The whole thing was so well thought out, neatly taking care of two issues at once, that she was in awe of Kakashi and Shikamaru. 

She stretched her sore muscles before heading downstairs for lunch. Shikamaru smiled at her and she returned it before taking her seat. The conversation revolved around Kiri’s plan for increasing tourism. It was a relaxing lunch, and Hinata felt refreshed and energetic when she was finished.

Hinata and Han washed the dishes together afterward. Shikamaru had tried to stick around to help but was dragged away Mei.

Hinata turned towards the sink to hide her small smile at the petulant glare Shikamaru sent their way before slinking out after the Mizukage. If he was so worried about her having romantic feelings for somebody else, then that was a good sign, right?

Han was hesitant when he reached for the plate she had just washed, and she smiled in encouragement. He returned it before putting the dish under the water. 

“Hinata. I know that inviting you along was part of my mission, but I was interested before Mei-sama asked me to.”

She ran a sponge across a fork and bit her lip, searching for the right words. “I appreciate that, Han. I’ve enjoyed spending time with you. You’ve been very kind.”

Their fingers brushed when he took the fork from her and when she glanced over he was studying her. She blinked at him and opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong.

“Screw it,” he mumbled and leaned forward, though he moved slowly enough to give her time to avoid the kiss.

Her eyes widened, and she took a step back. “Han...”

His lips twisted into a rueful smile and he shrugged. “Just had to know for sure.”

She licked her lips, the sound of water dripping from the plate in her hand to the floor loud in the sudden silence. “I -”

He shook his head. “You don’t have to explain, Hinata. I hope we can still be friends.”

“I’d like that,” she said and after a moment of hesitation stepped back up to the sink.

“Would I have had a chance? If you weren’t already interested in somebody else?” The question was asked in an idle, curious tone a few minutes later.

“I don’t know if you want me to answer that, Han,” she said gently.

He sighed. “No, probably not. Either answer would suck.”

Hinata’s lips twitched at the overly dramatic way he said it. Truthfully, she did like Han, but even if Shikamaru wasn’t sure about what he wanted, she was. 

She found Shikamaru outside dozing on the branch of a tree. His eyes cracked open, and he looked down at her. “Hey. How’s  _ Han?” _

She pressed her lips together and tilted her head to the side. “Wet.”

He flailed, and she covered her mouth to hide her laughter when he fell out of the tree. He landed on his feet and twisted around to glare at her. 

“We did just do the dishes, you know,” she said once she had control over her facial expression and had clasped her hands together in front of her.

“You’re a closet sadist,” he said in the tone of somebody who had just realized that one of their previous universal truths were false.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He huffed and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Evil,” he muttered, but the way he was watching her was more fond than upset. “Come on. I have something to show you.”

Curious, she followed him through the trees until they emerged into a field full of wildflowers of multiple colors and shapes. “Oh! Shikamaru, it’s beautiful,” she spun around to take it in.

“I thought you could impart some knowledge on me.”

Hinata looked over at him. He was watching her with satisfaction, as though proud of her reaction to the field. She had to admit it was sweet of him to think of her.

“Knowledge?”

“Well, yeah. You made those flower crowns that one time. I figure, you never know when you might need that skill on a mission.”

Hinata took a step towards him, and her smile widened. “You’re saying you want to to learn to make flower crowns? Really?”

“Well, yeah, I thought you could teach me, or whatever. I’m sure it’s not that hard.”

Hinata raised her brows but was sure he could see how all of her insides had gone soft and gooey at his willingness to try doing something she enjoyed. “Alright. First, let’s collect the ones we want to use.”

She motioned for him to come closer before bending over a multi-petaled purple flower swaying in the breeze on a long stalk. She gathered her hair in one hand to hold it out of the way before showing him how much space to leave between the end of the stem and flower.

They spent the next twenty minutes picking flowers and exchanging silly stories about past missions. By the time they finished gathering the plants, Hinata was content and almost giddy with happiness and there was a large pile of blossoms between them on the ground. 

Hinata showed him how to weave the flowers together, and he watched with a furrowed brow for a few minutes before reaching for a flower. She watched from under her lashes while he fumbled with the delicate stems, dropping them and cursing to himself.

Hinata wanted to reach over and help him, but he seemed so determined that she decided she should probably let him be. By the time she finished her first, he was still putting all of the focus that he reserved for mission briefings into his. 

She was on her third when he made a triumphant noise. Hinata glanced up just as he held it out. She stared at it and tried to arrange her face into something encouraging. The petals were bruised, the stems a tangled mess of knots.

“Wow, Shikamaru, that’s really...” she drifted off when one side of his weave fell apart, and he ended up with two ends of mangled flower-rope hanging from his palm. His face fell in a mixture of disbelief and affront, as though the flowers had personally wronged him.

Hinata opened her mouth to say something reassuring, but what came out instead was a bark of laughter. She slapped a hand over her mouth, and her eyes widened.

Slowly, he moved his grumpy expression from the flowers to her face. “Think that’s funny, do you?”

She shook her head frantically, but more laughter was already bubbling out of her. “N-no, Shikamaru. It’s not, I’m sorry, it’s just, your expression -”

“Hmm. You know, everybody thinks you’re so sweet, I wonder what they’d say if they knew how mean you are.”

Her shoulders shook, and she bit her lip. “I - I’m sorry. It’s an excellent f-first try -”

“You can’t even keep a straight face!” he accused, but his lips were twitching.

“It’s just. You were so sure you’d get it on your first try, and your expression...”

“Yeah, yeah, let it all out. You must think a lot of yourself after this, huh?”

“Well. Like you said, it’s not like it’s  _ hard -” _

She squealed when he leaped across the flowers and gently tackled her. “I’ll give you something to laugh about,  _ woman -” _

“No!” she shrieked when he dug his fingers into her sides and tried to squirm away from him, laughter making her breathless.

“You brought this on yourself with your smarmy flower-weaving ways -”

She laughed and put her hands around his wrists. “No! I’m sorry. Shikamaru, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Her eyes were filling with tears, her face was hot and her cheeks hurt from smiling too widely.

His fingers stilled and she collapsed, still laughing and sucking air into her lungs. She smiled up at him, and her chest tightened at his returning half-smile. Hinata was suddenly very aware of the way his body was stretched out half on top of hers.

Her smile didn’t fade when his eyes moved to her lips and back to her eyes. Her heartbeat sped up, and she took a shaky breath. He wanted to kiss her. She stayed still and stared back at him. He leaned down, and she felt a flush working its way up her neck and to her face and the thrill of anticipation.

They stayed that way for a long, breathless moment. Then he sighed and leaned back, expression rueful, and the tension between them broke. Disappointment replaced anticipation, and she sat up and looked down at her flower crowns, which were unharmed by their tussle.

Fingers under her chin had her looking at his soft expression. “You’re making it difficult to be patient.” 

Her lips parted in surprise, and he cleared his throat and looked away. Then he stood and moved back to his spot on the other side of the pile of flowers. “Alright, second time’s the charm,” he mumbled.

He lifted two flowers out of the pile with such determination that it was impossible to hold onto negative feelings. Hinata wondered how many people got to see this silly version of him. When he made a low noise of satisfaction after successfully weaving three flowers together, she was pretty sure the answer was ‘not many.’ 

He looked up to make sure she saw his success, and she hoped her expression didn’t show just how much she adored him right then. When his cheeks heated and he cleared his throat, she thought she probably wasn’t fooling anybody.

“We still haven’t run into Raiso,” Shikamaru said a few minutes later while he contorted his body around in an attempt to weave a stem into his slightly improved crown.

They’d been trying to figure out who the mysterious Raiso was that the Ketsueki members in Tea had been discussing before they’d killed them. It was apparent he was at least upper management.

“Do you think he’s in Iwa?”

“Could be. Either way, we need to find him before this is over. The kage are working on the local leadership, but we need to weed out the Westerners.”

Hinata sighed and set her flower crown aside. “This is fine for now, but maybe we should try to set up a long-term diplomatic solution with the Westerners.”

“I was thinking about that,” Shikamaru said. He fumbled a red flower, and Hinata paused in her sorting through the much-depleted flower pile when she saw how hard he was working at not looking at her.

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I thought maybe we should send you and Naruto. The two of you would make a pretty good diplomatic team. You'd crack even the hardest of hearts.”

Hinata nodded slowly, confusion wrinkling her brow. Why was Shikamaru looking at her like that? He was expecting something from her, but she had no idea what. “That’s a good idea. We did work well as a team together in that capacity in the past.”

He hummed, then swore when two petals dropped from his crown. “That wouldn’t bother you? Spending all that time with him?”

His voice was too casual, and the reason behind his squeamishness became clear. “I’m not in love with him anymore, if that’s what you mean, Shikamaru.”

She pressed her lips together to hide her smile when he glared down at an innocuous yellow flower. “That isn’t what I was asking,” he said unconvincingly.

“Well. We’re friends, now. It took awhile, but I was able to move past my feelings once we had closure, though I suppose it will always sting a little. I did love him very much,” she tacked on gently.

It wasn’t a lie. Naruto loved Sasuke, and they were happy together. He couldn’t help who he loved, and Hinata was glad that, in the end, he’d been brave enough to face his feelings. It had been difficult to give up the dream of  _ them _  that she’d held for so many years, but she had come to terms with it.

“Huh,” he said. “Well, then, I’ll suggest it to Kakashi.” Hinata had a feeling he wanted to say more, but she didn’t push when he went silent.

They stayed out for another hour, finally giving in and going inside when the sun began to set. The next day when their little party headed out, they were all wearing flower crowns.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata falls face first into some trouble. Shikamaru has a heart attack.

Hinata knew that Shikamaru and Mei weren’t sleeping together, but having to watch them pretend still wasn’t much fun. Shikamaru had barely glanced at her before accepting Mei’s request to walk her home. Hinata knew why, of course, but it still stung.

She left the room where they’d held the meetings that Mei had set up once they’d returned. It had bought them a few days to recover, but that didn’t make them any less boring. She stretched and sighed with relief when she breathed in the fresh air. Her arm was on its way to being fully healed, but she was still forced to wear long sleeves to cover up the bandages, which was too bad. The sun would have felt nice on her skin.

Han was on duty, so she was on her own that evening. She was considering heading for the gardens when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

“Hinata!” Her eyes widened, and when she turned her head, Hanada was hurrying down the road towards her.

“Hanada-san! Hello,” she greeted. “I’m glad to see you...well.”

In actuality, he looked a little over-tired. His hair was less well-groomed than it had been last time they met, and his robes were wrinkled. His escorts weren’t with him, which was strange. Shouldn’t he keep them close while in a ninja village?

“Hinata, hello. I had heard you were still here. You look beautiful, as always.”

“Thank you, Hanada-san. Are you well?” She peered at his slightly glassy eyes and the sweat beading on his forehead.

“Oh, yes, fine, fine, thank you for asking. I was wondering if you’d, uh, rethought what we talked about.”

Hinata tilted her head to the side. They’d talked about a lot of things while stuck on the boat together, though it had mostly revolved around him. “What do you mean?”

His lips pressed together and the haughty annoyance he’d carried around with him when they first met made an appearance. “I mean, have you reconsidered continuing our correspondence?”

“Oh.” She looked down at her feet. “I’m sorry, Hanada-san, but I must hold firm in my original response.”

“Your response...you mean where you told me you weren’t interested in romance at this time?”

Hinata looked up at him and frowned. Even her deep well of patience was running dry with this man.  “Hanada-san, the reason shouldn’t matter, but, yes.”

His face twisted into an ugly scowl. “So what of the rumors that you’ve struck up some...illicit affair with one of the Mizukage’s _guards.”_ He said the word like it was something dirty and Hinata’s back straightened at the implied insult to Han.

“A kage’s guard is a respected position, Hanada-san.”

His eyes narrowed. “So you don’t deny it.”

Hinata met his gaze squarely. “Who I do or do not date isn’t your business. Perhaps I was overly polite last time we spoke, though I assure you I was only trying to spare your feelings. It seems I’ve just made things worse for you, so I will be clear this time. You and I are not well suited, and I do not want to continue our correspondence. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must return to my duties.”

She bowed and spun on her heel to leave. Faster than she would have expected for a civilian, Hanada's hand shot out and grabbed her arm. She flinched and pulled it from his grip, ignoring the throbbing of the still-healing cut where he’d dug his fingers in.

“Hanada-san, do not touch me without my permission again.” Her tone was low and steady, but when she glanced over her shoulder his face had gone a shade lighter.

“You...” he straightened his shoulders and frowned down at her arm. “What happened to your arm? I felt bandages.”

Hinata sighed. This man honestly did not know when to give up. “Sparring accident. Excuse me, Hanada-san.”

She turned and left, walking calmly despite how shaken she felt. She hated confrontations like those, where she was forced to be almost cruel to someone. Still, Hanada had crossed a line that she could not let go.

When Shikamaru returned to his room later that night, she knocked softly on the door separating them. He opened it a moment later, and his small smile lifted her mood.

“Shikamaru,” she greeted, and unlike with Hanada, she didn’t pull away when he reached out and grasped her wrist.

“Hey. Come on in.” She followed him into the room and sank gratefully into a chair.

“I’m still a little worn out,” she admitted after he let go of her wrist and sat at the end of the bed.

“It’s been a long couple of weeks.” He yawned, and she couldn’t help the pang in her chest at how unguarded he was around her. It was nice - intimate.

Hinata nodded. “It has. Did you have a nice evening?”

Shikamaru made a face, and she laughed. “Well, I ran into somebody we know,” she said.

“Oh?”

“Hmm. Hanada is in the village, though I have no idea why.”

Shikamaru scowled. “Of course, he went out of his way to find you.”

“It seems that way. He was upset. He heard the rumors about Han.”

She looked down to hide her smile when his scowl turned more ferocious. “You could be less pleased with my pain, you know,” he mumbled.

She looked up and tilted her head to the side. Her expression must have said it all because he somehow managed to look even more petulant. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I started it.”

Hinata laughed. “Yes, well, I was pretty firm with him this time, so I doubt he’ll seek me out again.”

“That guy is a piece of work.”

“He’s not very pleasant.”

Shikamaru sighed and ran a hand down his face. He looked just as tired as she felt, so she stood. “I’ll let you get some sleep. Is the plan to still leave the day after tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Mei sent a message to the Tsuchikage to let her know.”

“Alright. Goodnight, Shikamaru.”

He reached out and grabbed her hand when she passed him. Her heartbeat picked up, and a blush bloomed across her face. She turned and let him pull her a little closer until she was practically standing between his knees.

He threaded their fingers together and tilted his head back to look up at her. “I missed you today,” he said in a low tone, and the heat in her cheeks exploded and spread down her body, pooling between her thighs.

“I missed you, too,” she admitted. They stared at each other for a few moments and the hope that had been growing for the past few days expanded and solidified into something else.

A sense of unwavering certainty took hold of her. Shikamaru wasn’t quite ready for a relationship yet, but she thought that someday soon he _would_ be. And the way he was looking at her... well, Hinata was almost confident that he’d choose her.

Her lips turned up into a smile, and he returned it with a small one of his own. “Get some sleep,” he said in a rough tone that made her stomach tighten.

He dropped her hand, and she stepped back. “You too, Shikamaru.”

Excitement for what the future held kept her awake for a good hour before she finally fell into a deep, peaceful slumber. For once in her life, being in love was something pleasant.

They only had a few hours of meetings the following day. Hinata decided to take a walk around Kiri after Mei dragged Shikamaru off to ‘say a proper goodbye.’

Hinata had almost laughed out loud when Shikamaru’s face had fallen. She knew Mei liked to tease him, so she doubted he was having a lot of fun during their evenings together. After the night before, she couldn’t muster even a little bit of unease over it.

Hinata wandered around an open market area that was new as of last year. It was another addition meant to attract tourists, and Hinata was pleased to see that it was reasonably crowded. She ran her hands over scarfs and stopped to admire handwoven baskets before a paperweight, of all things, caught her eye.

She wandered closer to it, and her lips turned up when she saw what was encased in the clear glass. Various types of wildflowers native to Water Country, familiar from the afternoon she’d spent making flower crowns with Shikamaru.

She bought the paperweight before weaving her way through the crowd and making her way back towards the Mizukage’s house. Her heart felt light, and she hummed to herself as she walked.

She was only a few blocks from the mansion when Hanada appeared from around a corner. He looked even worse than yesterday, with bloodshot eyes and a stain along the sleeve of one arm. When he saw her his face cleared and she sighed when he headed directly for her.

“Hinata! Thank god. You’re a medic, right?”

Her annoyance faded at the urgency behind the question, replaced by concern. “I am. Are you unwell?”

“No. It - it’s my guard. Something's wrong. I’m afraid he may have been poisoned -”

Alarm moved through her when she thought about the kind and light-hearted Grass shinobi she’d met on the boat. “Take me to him,” she demanded without having to think about it.

He looked so relieved that she was a little confused. He didn’t seem like he was one to care for the welfare of somebody he considered the help. Hinata shook her head at herself. It wasn’t like she knew him that well. Perhaps he’d become close to them during their travels.

She followed his rapid pace down a few side streets until they came to a large, gleaming house, built in the newer style of construction peppered around the village. She paused and looked up and down the mostly empty street.

“You aren’t staying in a hotel?”

“No, no, of course not. Why would I do that when I could rent a whole house?” he said impatiently and held the gate to the front yard open for her. “Hinata, he’s _dying.”_

“Right, of course.” She hoped this wasn’t some attempt to get her alone so he could try and seduce her. Though, he did seem genuinely distressed.

She followed him inside and through a nicely decorated but bland living area and down a hallway. “He’s in here,” Hanada said and gestured at the door.

Hinata hesitated when she saw the way his eyes were almost gleaming, but then she heard a small groan and the rustle of bedsheets and her worry won out. The doorknob was cold under her palm when she grabbed and turned it.

She pushed the door open and stepped inside. Just like the living area, the room was decorated in bland colors, though the bed was large and comfortable looking. There was a visible lump under the covers, and Hinata hurried forward. It was hard to see the shinobi’s head past the blankets and pillows propped around him.

She was only two feet from the bed when she finally saw his face. She stopped and took a step back, eyes widening. He wasn’t either of the Grass shinobi from before.

Red hair framed a tan, craggy face with two glinting blue eyes that looked at her in amusement. A Westerner. “You’re not -”

He flung back the covers and held his hand up palm up before blowing across it. Hinata tried to dodge the spray of white powder that plumed out from his palm, but Hanada was standing right behind her, and she stumbled against him. The powder tingled where it hit her skin. Her limbs became rubbery and weak almost immediately, though she still managed to jab at the Westerner when he stood to loom over her.

He dodged it, and she fell to her knees when her momentum pulled her off balance. Her breath stuttered on an inhale when she came face to face with the sword shoved into his belt.

Hinata’s eyes traveled up over his thick waist and broad shoulders. He was huge - almost as large as Chouji. She blinked rapidly. “You - Hanada, what...”

“I didn’t want it to happen this way, Hinata. It’s your own fault. If you weren’t so _stubborn -”_

She was almost relieved when she lost consciousness and didn’t have to listen to him talk anymore.

000

Hinata breathed steadily through the urge to throw up her lunch and kept her eyes shut, and her body relaxed. Her shoulders were aching from the way her arms were pulled behind her and latched together by thick cuffs. Her legs were splayed and stung from what she thought might be multiple cuts, and her cheek was pressed against something gritty - dirt, probably.

She was outside somewhere, so that would make sense. Hinata listened to the sound of a crackling fire and wind moving through trees. The worst part about all of this, however, was that she couldn’t access her chakra. She thought it might have something to do with the cuffs. They probably had seals on them that dampened the flow of her chakra through her body - she’d seen something similar while transporting prisoners.

“Why isn’t she awake? If you’ve damaged her -”

“What did I say about you running your mouth?” Hanada was cut off by a low, growling voice. Hinata assumed it was the Westerner. She cursed herself for letting her guard down. She didn’t even particularly like Hanada, yet the moment he’d said he needed help she’d followed him without thought.

Now it turned out he was one of the nobles that were helping the Westerners. He must have figured out that they were somehow involved. It was just bad luck that they’d shared that boat with him.

“Besides, she’s awake.”

“What?” Rapid footsteps approached her.

“Don’t get close to her!” The Westerner snapped. “Tied up without chakra or not, she’s still a kunoichi.”

Hanada stopped a few feet from her to her disappointment. With a sigh, Hinata opened her eyes. Hanada looked even worse than he had last time she’d seen him.

A fire crackling merrily about six feet from where Hinata was slumped over lit his dirty face and ripped robes. His wringing hands and darting eyes proved just how unsettled he was. Well, Hinata would be unsettled, too, if she’d just kidnapped a kunoichi of Konoha.

After some struggle, she got her body into a seated position and slumped forward over her legs. She blew a chunk of hair out of her face and looked from Hanada to the Westerner, who seemed more amused than nervous. He was stirring something in a large pot - stew from the smell of it - and Hinata’s stomach turned over.

“Hanada.” Her voice came out in a croak, but there was nothing to be done about that. “Why are you doing this? Our countries are allies.”

His face twisted and he leaned forward. “Don’t play dumb with me. I know you’re the one who’s been destroying Ketsueki bases.”

Hinata wrinkled her brow. “What?”

The Westerner chuckled. “You’re good at the innocent act; I’ll give you that. You almost had me fooled with the Hoaru thing. Then Hanada here came back last night ranting about some little tart of a kunoichi who had broken his heart. I had to listen to him talk about that boat ride from Tea to Water for an hour."

Hinata's heart sank as she realized where this was probably going. They'd given themselves away unwittingly. 

“Then he told me about your injury. It was...what did you say, Hanada? Oh, yes, what you deserved for preferring the company of brutes in country houses. That’s when it clicked. My bases in Wind, Tea, and Water were all destroyed. I have confirmation that you were recently in two of three of those countries. You and your partner were rumored to have gone off to some love nest in the country with the Mizukage and her guards just when my poppy fields were flooded.”

Hinata shook her head. “I’m sorry, shinobi-san, but I have no idea -”

The kick came from seemingly nowhere. One moment he was stirring his food, and the next something connected with her ribs and sent her careening through the air. She couldn’t break her fall, but she was able to twist just enough that she hit her shoulder instead of her face when she landed.

She blinked rapidly until her vision cleared. She’d come to a stop on her side, and when her eyes focused again, she saw a grouping of simple white flowers mere inches from her face. Where did she know them from? It was hard to concentrate, between the pain and the sedative still running through her veins.

Hinata gasped for air and hoped that her ribs were merely cracked instead of broken. A punctured lung would be very bad right now. She kept her eyes on the flower when the man approached and knelt next to her.

“Raiso - we agreed you wouldn’t kill her!” Hanada said in a high-pitched tone.

“She’s fine. A kunoichi of her level can handle a much worse beating than this,” he said dismissively while Hinata reeled at the name. _Raiso,_ the man that she and Shikamaru thought might be the leader of Ketsueki. If Hinata could kill him, that would be a huge coup. It might even be the end of the organization.

Unfortunately, he didn’t seem like he would be underestimating her any time soon. He grabbed her roughly by her shirt and pulled her into a sitting position. His eyes were cold and piercing, and she met them levelly, despite her pain.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m part of a diplomatic contingent -”

His large hand wrapped around her throat and squeezed and rage crossed his features before disappearing behind his cold mask. “You should probably stop lying to me,” he said casually.

Hinata’s feet scrabbled at the ground, and her fingers brushed the petals of the white flowers. Just like that, she remembered where she knew them from. They’d been in the botanical gardens that Han had taken her to.

Despite her desperate need for air, she managed to wrap her fingers around the petal. “You destroyed my network - cut me off from the money I need to get my operation off the ground. Do you have any idea how...annoyed I am right now?”

The terrifying part was how calm he was as spoke. He would kill her and not think twice about it, that was obvious. “The money you took from my pockets was meant to feed my people. Starving women and children...that’s on _you,_ kunoichi, so if I were you, I’d stop trying my patience.”

He let go of her, and she sucked oxygen past her bruised airways until the spots that had started to form in the corners of her vision dissipated. He stood and walked back to his pot. She watched when he tossed in a handful of greens in, probably spices of some sort.

“Nobody knows where we are,” Raiso said. “We have all night. Once I’m done eating, I’m going to get serious about questioning you. I expect some answers - I didn't travel all the way here from Earth and spend days listening to that idiot drone on to leave empty-handed.”

Hinata barely heard him over her wheezing and coughing and she winced when the taste of copper exploded over her tongue. She highly doubted he had as much time as he thought he did. Shikamaru would find her soon, she was sure. He was probably already looking. Even if he wasn't underestimating her, he was underestimating her partner.

Hinata swallowed the blood in her mouth and licked her lips. “What did you mean, about starving women and children?” She hadn’t heard anything like that in any of her briefs about the Westerners. She ignored Hanada’s hovering, though he didn’t get any closer to her than a few feet.

“The land that my people claimed has been in a drought for years. Why else would I allow your crooked politicians to pull me into something like this? I’d prefer to have never set foot into the Elemental Nations, but I need to feed my people.”

Hinata was silent as she thought about that. She could, of course, understand the need to keep his people alive. What she couldn’t abide was the way in which he’d gone about it. Hinata still remembered the faces of the women in Wind, and the people they’d freed from working the fields in Water.

“The Elemental Nations are peaceful, now,” she croaked, ignoring the jagged shards of pain in her throat. “We would have offered aide if you just asked.”

Hanada narrowed his eyes at her. “Why would they take handouts when they could share in the profits?”

Hinata turned and put all of the fury she felt towards him into her expression. This man had sacrificed people he was supposed to protect for personal gain. She would never forgive him. He jerked back a few steps. “As I said, I don’t know exactly what’s going on here, Hanada, but it doesn’t sound like it’s legal. You should turn yourself in.”

His laugh was hysterical. “Turn myself in? Why would I do that? I’m getting rich from this, you know. Sure, there have been some setbacks, but once you tell us who is involved, we can plug the leaks and rebuild. Then, you’ll come back to Grass with me as my wife.”

Hinata’s jaw dropped, and she looked over at Raiso. His lips were twitching in amusement, and for a fleeting moment, their thoughts seemed to be in sync. Hanada was in over his head if he thought any of that would happen. The marriage or the easy ‘plugging of leaks.’

She almost felt sorry for him. Especially when she realized that she and Shikamaru would have to kill him if Raiso didn’t do it first. He’d figured out too much. Hinata licked her lips. She was out of time if she was going to make her slipshod plan work.

Hanada had wandered closer during his speech; eyes lit with avarice. Hinata turned her body and swung her leg around, taking him out at his knees. He went down in a flurry of squawking noises, and she staggered to her feet.

She took off at sprint despite the way it made her ribs protest, aware that Raiso was already moving, and kept her eyes on the forest line. She waited until he’d lunged for her, when she was sure his focus was on her face, to act. She turned her body awkwardly to give her the angle she needed, then flicked the flower petals she’d rolled up into a ball towards the pot over the fire.

Raiso tackled her to the ground with an overabundance of enthusiasm, considering she was injured and without chakra. Her cheek connected painfully with the ground, and she gasped, sure that her bone must have cracked.

“You’re feisty, huh? Not very fast without your chakra, though,” Raiso said as he climbed off of her and lifted her by her shirt. She hung limply in his grasp when he dragged her to sit a few feet from the fire.

“Do that again, and I’ll tie your legs together, too.”

Hanada had gotten to his feet and was screaming something in the background. He sounded hysterical, and Hinata thought he might have finally snapped from the stress. She lifted her knees and put her forehead to them when the throbbing in her head increased.

“Fuck that bitch! Let’s just kill her - we don’t need her -”

“You need to stop screaming! We’re hidden away here, but you’ll draw the attention of somebody if you keep yelling.”

“I don’t care about patrols - you can just kill them like you did those men who tried to stop us when we left the village!”

Hinata’s heart sank at that bit of news. Not only had she been stupid enough to get herself captured, but two shinobi of Kiri had died as a result. Her eyes filled with tears, but she was distracted from her thoughts when Hanada made a choked sound.

She looked over and scrambled up to her knees when she saw that Raiso was holding him off the ground by his throat. Hanada’s feet were kicking uselessly in the air, and he was scratching at Raiso’s hands while his face turned purple.

“Your usefulness has outlived itself,” he said, and Hinata covered her mouth when the sound of Hanada’s neck breaking echoed through the clearing. His body went limp, and Raiso dropped him before turning back towards the fire.

Hinata stared at Hanada’s body, shock rendering her mute. She hadn’t liked him, and honestly, he would have ended up dead either way, but the cruel way Raiso had killed him...

Hinata sat down and took a few shaky breaths to calm herself. She could break down over this later. For now, she needed to keep her wits about her. She turned back to the fire and wasn’t surprised that Raiso’s eyes were on her.

“It’s disgusting, the way your politicians sniffle and squeak, always complaining even while they betray the people who they built their power on.”

Hinata licked her lips and tried not to watch too avidly while he scooped food onto a metal plate for himself. Had the petals made it into the stew? If not, she’d be forced to try and fight him, though she doubted she’d win. Her cuffs were too tight to get out of, and she still felt woozy, both from the hits she’d taken and the sedative.

“They’re not all like that,” she said softly.

Raiso snorted. “You probably think I’m a monster. Maybe I am. All I know is that I couldn’t stand watching my people starve anymore.”

Hinata looked down at the tears in the knees of her stockings and the nasty scrapes peeking through them. “What you’ve done is monstrous,” she agreed, “but it’s not very often that people are true monsters.”

He huffed out a laugh. “Ah. Decided to talk, huh?”

Hinata shook her head. “Not really.” She wouldn’t give out any of the intel on the mission. Whatever he did to her, she wouldn’t let her village or Shikamaru down that way.

“Are you the leader?” she asked.

Raiso took a bite of the stew and Hinata had to concentrate on breathing normally while he chewed and swallowed. “I suppose you could call me that, though the politicians would disagree. Without me, there wouldn’t be an operation.”

Hinata bit her lip. Whatever it took, she couldn’t let him leave here alive. She looked up at him. He was frowning down at his stew, now, and she leaned forward. He glanced over at her, and his eyes narrowed.

“You - what did you do?”

Hinata shook her head frantically when he stood. He was obviously feeling something. Did that mean the petals had made it into the stew? She tried to remember if Han had told her how long it took the poison to kick in. All she could recall was that he mentioned that the petals were boiled to release the toxin.

Who knew how effective it was at this point, with only a few minutes in the stew? He took a few staggering steps towards her, and his breathing became strained. “You - you -”

She watched as Raiso's face began to turn purple, much like Hanada’s had just before he’d killed him. Hinata pressed her heels into the dirt and scooted herself back when he reached for her. She met his eyes. They were desperate and panicked, and Hinata knew it wasn’t himself he was thinking of.

“I’ll do my best to help your people,” she said. “I won’t hurt them the way you hurt mine.”

He coughed and fell to his knees a few feet from her and pink foam formed at the corners of his mouth. She wasn’t even sure if he’d heard her. Hinata watched when he fell forward, twitching and making horrible gurgling noises. It seemed to take forever for him to die.

When he finally stopped twitching Hinata struggled to her feet and edged around him until she could see his face. She shuddered at his open, staring eyes, red at the corners from ruptured blood vessels. Blood pooled around his mouth, and his whole body was still and lifeless.

His death had been painful, and she couldn’t muster any feelings about it either way about it. It was, she supposed, no less than he deserved, though she got no joy from the thought. She took a deep breath before approaching his body.

It was awkward, searching through his pockets with numb hands held securely behind her, but after using her feet to roll him over, she finally found a key in his right breast pocket. She fumbled with the lock but eventually succeeded in clicking it open.

Hinata winced when she brought her arms forward, both at the way they protested the movements and the ache in her ribs. It took her longer than it should have to get the key into the lock of the other. When they finally fell to the forest floor, she staggered at the sweet feeling of her chakra rushing back through her.

She spent some time healing her ribs - cracked - and dealing with the swelling in her throat, but only did the bare minimum. She had to get back to Kiri before Shikamaru tore the village apart trying to find her.

She crouched down and frowned at the cuffs, studying the seals etched into them. These would have been expensive. More proof that the backers behind this operation were anything but small time. Hinata sighed and picked them up, not wanting to leave something so dangerous lying around.

After some exploration of some supplies stacked by a tree, she found her weapons pouch and attached it to her thigh before adding the cuffs. She spent another few minutes burying the poisoned stew - she didn’t want to kill off unsuspecting wildlife or travelers.

Hinata then looked around and after a moment of thought climbed a tree to see if she could figure out where she was. The moon was waning, but still bright enough to light up the area. Hinata was surprised when she spotted the now-destroyed dam and flooded valley. No wonder nobody had found her yet - she was practically in the middle of nowhere.

Hinata wiggled down the tree and only hesitated for a moment over the bodies of Hanada and Raiso. She’d have to leave them for now.

She turned and started making her way towards Kiri, stopping every once in a while to activate her Byakugan. She’d been running for about an hour when she spotted three shinobi racing towards her. Hinata would recognize the chakra of one of them anywhere.

She changed direction a bit so that she was running directly towards them. It only took five minutes for their paths to converge. “Shikamaru!” she called when they stopped suddenly and went into defensive positions, probably having heard her coming since she was doing nothing to hide her approach.

She released her Byakugan when he straightened and took a few steps towards her, and a moment later she burst through the trees. He was running towards her, eyes wide, and she didn’t stop until she’d collided with his chest.

“Hinata,” he said in a ragged voice and wrapped his arms around her. “Thank god.”

She knew Han and Chojuro were with him, but she ignored them in favor of pressing the non-bruised side of her face against his shoulder. She was so relieved to see him that she couldn't speak for a long moment. 

“Are you being pursued, Hinata?” Han’s urgent voice asked, and she forced herself to straighten, though Shikamaru kept his arms around her to keep her from stepping away. Hinata didn’t plan on complaining about it.

“No. I - they’re dead.” She glanced up at Shikamaru's face. He was focused on the spot where she’d hit the ground after Raiso tackled her. His gaze moved down to her throat, which she was sure was spectacularly bruised.

His lips pressed together and he raised one of his hands to trail his fingers lightly over her uninjured cheek. Hinata smiled tremulously at him, but she must have looked as awful as she felt because he tucked her under his chin into another embrace.

“It was Hanada. He was partnered with Raiso,” she said against the side of his throat. “It was my fault. I was so stupid - Hanada came to tell me that his guard was ill and I didn’t question it. Raiso ambushed me, and they took me out of the village to interrogate me. Hanada said they killed two shinobi as they were escaping -” her voice broke and Shikamaru ran a hand down her back soothingly, though he’d stiffened at Raiso’s name.

“Hush. It’s not your fault.” His chest rumbled against her, and she took a deep breath before stepping back. His comfort had helped steady her, but right now she needed to be a kunoichi of Konoha, not his...whatever they were.

She met his eyes and smiled so he’d know she had recovered her equilibrium, and he let out a breath and nodded once, though his eyes were burning with rage and his gaze remained focused on her bruises. “Their bodies are next to the dam.”

She looked over at Han. He nodded. “Alright. Chojuro and I will retrieve them. Shikamaru-san, you get Hinata-san back to the village.”

Hinata opened her mouth to protest, but Shikamaru’s quelling look had her snapping her mouth shut. “Right. We need to give a full report to the Mizukage. Come on, Hinata.”

Han and Chojuro were gone before he’d finished speaking, both of them focused on their task. Hinata turned towards the village, but Shikamaru’s hand on her wrist stopped her. When she turned, he brought his hands up to cup her cheeks, though he avoided the sore spot on her right one.

“You’re really okay?” His voice was ragged, and she lifted her hands to wrap them lightly around his wrists.

“Fine. Just bruised. I’m sorry I worried you.”

“Worried?” His laugh was ragged and didn’t hold any humor. “Try fucking terrified.”

“Shikamaru...”

Before she could finish whatever it was she would have said, he leaned down and pressed his lips lightly against hers. Hinata’s eyes fluttered shut and the pain of her injuries, the heartsickness and the guilt, all faded into the background.

He leaned back, breaking the kiss, and her lips parted. She kept her eyes closed for a few more seconds, savoring the feeling of his hands on her face and the goosebumps that had broken out across her skin. When she finally opened them, his gaze was warm and sure.

“I was afraid I’d never get to do that.”

Hinata blinked a few times, brain struggling to connect his words to what he’d said just before he’d kissed her. “Oh,” she said and sounded dazed even to herself.

His half smile sent her heart to racing, and she went up on her toes to meet him eagerly when he brought his lips back down to her own. It was light, barely there, but her whole body still felt flushed afterward.

“Come on. Let’s get you back to the village. You need a medic. And I’m interested to know how Hanada got tangled up with the leader of Ketsueki.” He paused. “And how you managed to kill them both.”

Hinata licked her lips but didn’t protest when he lowered his hands, especially when he turned one and laced his fingers through hers before she could release his wrist. She followed the tug of his hand without complaint.

She wasn’t sure how she could be so full of happiness, even after the night she’d had. Then he glanced at her from over his shoulder and her breath caught in her throat at the affection and relief in his expression.

She was certain she could face anything, as long as he was there waiting for her at the end of it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's smut! And a teeny bit of drama but mostly just smut.

Shikamaru ran his fingers through his still-damp hair, feeling a little creepy but not caring enough to leave. He hadn’t left Hinata’s side for longer than ten minutes intervals since he’d caught sight of her in the forest.

She was sleeping, curled up on her side in the guest bed, having drifted off almost immediately after being healed by Mei’s personal medic. Her report had been as distressing as it was impressive. He still couldn’t believe she’d been kidnapped by that pathetic weasel Hanada. Shikamaru wondered how he hadn’t at least suspected the man was involved with Ketsueki.

Hinata had insisted that there was no way to know, but he couldn’t help his continued self-recrimination. If she hadn’t recognized that poisonous plant, or if Raiso hadn’t been trying to play head games with her by eating dinner while she sat and waited for torture...

Shikamaru dropped his head into his hands. When they’d come across those dead Kiri shinobi while tracking her, he’d been so worried that they’d discovered she was missing too late. That she’d be the next body they’d find.

“Shikamaru.”

He looked up at the sound of her voice. Her eyes were open and she was studying him with a furrowed brow. “It’s not your fault.”

He looked away. “I’m your team captain. I shouldn’t have left you vulnerable -”

“You didn’t have a choice, you were following mission parameters.”

He stood abruptly and crossed over to the window. It was raining, and he could barely see the buildings around them through the mist and fading daylight. “We’ve been stirring a hornet’s nest. I should have known somebody would come sniffing around, and that they might suspect us.”

The covers rustled and when he looked over she had sat up. The duvet had fallen to reveal the t-shirt she’d changed into before falling asleep. His eyes darted away when he saw she wasn’t wearing a bra.

“There was no way to know Hanada was involved, or that Raiso would decide to regroup with him in Kiri. It was just bad luck, Shikamaru.”

He sighed and when he looked over she motioned for him to come closer, expression open and imploring. Well, it was impossible to resist that, especially with her hair falling in messy waves around her face and the mark the pillow had left on one cheek.

He shuffled over to her side and sat gingerly on the bed, feeling the curve of her hip against his own when he twisted his body and brought his knee up on the bed so he could face her. Her hand lifted and he held his breath when she lightly touched his hair, still down while he waited for it to dry.

“You kissed me,” she whispered and he swallowed and leaned into her touch when she turned her hand to cup his face.

“Yeah.”

Her eyes darted back and forth as she studied him intently. “Was it just because you felt relieved to see me, or -”

He leaned across the space between them and pressed his lips against hers. His heartbeat picked up when she exhaled a small breath against them before leaning eagerly into the kiss.

Her lips were supple and slightly dry since she’d just woken up. He lifted his palm to cup the hand still against his face, and the other hand went to her hair. He gently ran his fingers through it and when she opened her mouth he pressed his tongue inside.

He lost track of time after that, especially when her free arm snaked around his waist and tugged him closer as she laid back. Shikamaru ended up sprawled over her, and though the covers were still between them, he could feel her curves pressing against him.

When he pulled back, his whole body was tingling and his lips were tender and slick. He took in her flushed face and half-closed eyes with satisfaction before leaning down and pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose. Her arms looped around his neck and he didn’t resist when she pulled him down into another kiss.

He leaned away after a few seconds, though, ignoring her sound of protest with no small amount of effort. “Baby, I want to keep going, but we should talk, first.”

She blinked up at him and he could see the moment her brain clicked back on. She sighed and he thought her lip might have pushed out into a small pout, but she unwound her arms from around his neck so he could sit up. He didn’t go far, though, choosing to sit next to her cross-legged on the bed.

She pulled herself up into a sitting position and leaned against the headboard and he reached over and grabbed her hand. She glanced down at their intertwined fingers and then up at his face and bit her lip, the question in her eyes obvious.

He didn’t hesitate. After kissing her, there was no way he could walk away now. “I’d like to take you out when we get back to the village.”

She blinked rapidly. “Like...on a date?”

He grinned at how cute her confusion was, then leaned forward and kissed her again, unable to resist. She responded eagerly and it was a struggle to lean back before it got out of hand. “Multiple dates, really. I suppose what I mean is, I’d like to date you, in general.” He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “I’d like you to be my girlfriend if that’s not too forward.”

When he looked at her his hand dropped to his side and his thoughts stuttered to a halt. She was smiling at him, wide and bright and happy. “I -”

“Wait!” he blurted, cutting her off. “Before you answer...there’s something I have to tell you.”

Her brow furrowed and he swallowed. He didn’t regret what he was about to tell her, but he thought she had a right to know. It’d be bad if it came out after they’d started officially dating.

“Shikamaru, what is it?”

He took a deep breath. “When Naruto broke up with you because he’d realized he loved Sasuke...”

He trailed off and she tightened her grip on her hand. “It’s okay, Shikamaru. You can tell me.”

He glanced up at her kind eyes and soft smile and his stomach tightened. She was just so easy to be around. He really hoped he wasn’t about to screw everything up.

“He didn’t realize it on his own. He was kind of an idiot about the whole thing. I could see you two were getting serious, and I didn’t want him to do something he’d regret.”

Hinata was still looking at him steadily, so he pushed through the rest of his confession. “I’m the one who told Naruto that he should examine his feelings for Sasuke...and for you. I was the reason he realized how he felt.”

He felt a little ill now that it was out there. He remembered how upset Hinata had been at the breakup, how blindsided she’d been. At the time, he’d felt for her, but Naruto had been his first priority, and he was ashamed to admit that he hadn’t been thinking of her feelings, beyond knowing that marrying somebody who didn’t love her the right way wasn’t great for her, either.

“Shikamaru...” He straightened his shoulders, ready for whatever response she had. “I already knew that.”

He stared at her. That was not what he’d expected to hear. “What?”

“Naruto told me. After we broke up, when I’d had a chance to calm down, we talked everything through. He told me the whole story, including that it was you who helped him realize his feelings.”

She reached forward with her free hand and patted his shoulder. She looked a little amused, now, the _minx._ He’d been worrying about how to tell her about this since they got back to Kiri, imagining days of the silent treatment while he attempted to convince her to give him a chance. And here she was, looking at him like he’d done something adorable by confessing to her.

“I’m glad Naruto has you looking out for him.”

“You -” He narrowed his eyes and her smile grew.

“You’re very sweet, Shikamaru, despite how grumpy you act.”

“I am not _sweet,”_ he said, honestly a little insulted. He was apathetic, cranky, and too intelligent for his own good. He wasn’t sweet.

She just hummed in a way that he knew was meant to placate but not agree. “Can I answer your question, now?”

“My question?”

Her smile softened and she leaned forward. “About whether I’ll date you.” She bit her lip and her cheeks pinked. His gaze lingered on her neck when the flush traveled downwards. He would never get tired of that, honestly.

“Uh huh,” he said, voice as distracted as the rest of him.

“Yes. I’d like that very much,” she said in a low tone and then ducked her head.

He made a low noise in the back of his throat and the next thing he knew he was straddling her and his lips were moving urgently over her own. He’d cupped her cheeks in his hands - more to keep her in place than anything - and she had her hands fisted into his shirt at his sides.

He ran his tongue along hers and she pressed forward, hands moving down to slip under his shirt. He shivered when she touched his skin. It had been so long since he’d been with somebody, and even longer since he’d been with somebody that he cared about like this.

He moved his lips down to her neck and she moaned when he sucked lightly on the skin there. “I want you so much,” he said mumbled against her.

“Yes,” she whispered and he froze in his exploration of the soft skin of her shoulder, exposed by the overly large t-shirt she was wearing.

He sat back on his heels so he could study her expression and make sure she meant what he thought (hoped) she did. Her lips were red and swollen and she was breathing in small puffs of air. She stared up at him from under her lashes, her pearl-colored eyes focused and sure.

“Alright,” he said and reached for the hem of her shirt.

Shikamaru had to pause and force himself to breathe after he’d tossed it to the side. Her skin was pale and soft, broken only by the occasional scar. Her breasts were full and round despite their size and he leaned down to take one of her nipples into his mouth, effectively living out a fantasy he'd been having for weeks.

Her breath hitched and she arched against him, hands moving to tangle into his hair. “Shikamaru,” she whispered and he flicked his tongue against her.

She squirmed beneath him, though he wasn’t sure if she was trying to get closer or direct his mouth elsewhere. He moved his attention to the other breast, bringing his hands up to knead them both and groaning at the way they felt in his palms.

“You have no idea how many times I’ve imagined doing this to you,” he said in a low tone before circling his tongue around her nipple.

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed there, but eventually, a tug on his hair had him leaning back. Hinata was panting, but her expression was determined and then she lunged forward and he was on his back with her straddling his waist.

He very much appreciated the sight she made, leaning over him, wearing only a pair of green underwear. He didn’t protest when she tugged his shirt over his head and then leaned down to kiss him. Her small hands were trailing over his chest and he couldn’t quite believe this was finally happening.

He ran his hands up her thighs and their kiss became sloppy and a little desperate. Then she pressed herself down against him and made a small noise in the back of her throat and he couldn’t stand another moment of not being inside of her.

She squeaked when he turned them around so that he was hovering over her. He sat back on his heels and stared down at her from between her thighs.

Her hair was spread out across the blanket and her skin almost looked like it was glowing in the dim light of the room, especially with the way it contrasted against the dark blue blankets. “You’re fucking gorgeous,” he said and chuckled when she managed to look bashful despite being mostly-naked and already looking halfway to well fucked.

He reached for his pants and unbuttoned them, sighing in relief when the constricting pressure on his dick was released. He pushed them down along with his underwear and then leaned down onto one of his hands so he could push them the rest of the way down his thighs.

It was easy to lower his head and kiss her from that position, so he did, and she sighed against his lips and wrapped her arms around him when he lowered his body against hers.

He could feel how wet she was through her underwear and couldn’t help but rock his hips against her. She shuddered and wrapped her thighs around his hips before pressing up against him.

“Shit,” he bit out and ground down. Pleasure wrapped around the base of his spine and he pushed his forehead against hers and squeezed his eyes shut. She was so soft and perfect and all of her little noises were driving him _crazy._ If he didn’t get to the main event soon he was going to lose it.

He reached down and lifted his hips so that he could push her underwear down her thighs. She dropped her legs and moved to help him, and after a lot of wiggling that was extremely distracting, she kicked them off.

He lifted up on one elbow and the fingers of his other hand found her clit. Her breathing picked up when he moved them back and forth over it. Part of him wanted to taste her, but there was no way he could drag himself away from the feeling of having her stretched out under him, their naked skin pressing together.

She squeezed her eyes shut and spread her thighs wider and he swallowed at the shameless way she clung to his shoulders and flung her head back. She was usually so reserved, and knowing he was the cause of her loss of control was heady and more than a little sexy. He moved his lips to her throat again, nibbling and licking the skin he found there. Then he moved his fingers down to press two into her - slowly, since she was tight enough that there was some resistance and he didn’t want to hurt her.

“Sh-Shikamaru,” she gasped and his thumb took over on her clit, rubbing in firm circles around it.

She tightened around his fingers while they moved gently in and out of her, and she was already so wet and close to being ready for him. He pressed his erection against her hip, desperate for some sort of relief, and bit lightly into the skin at the juncture where her shoulder curved into her neck.

Her breath stuttered to a halt and her whole body went taught, and the feeling of her coming around his fingers had him resisting the urge to just thrust against her hip until he followed.

She shuddered one last time before her body relaxed and he gently pulled his fingers from her before rolling over so that his full weight was on her again. She opened her eyes and smiled, though she looked a little dazed before he kissed her.

“Shikamaru, I want you,” she whispered when he pulled back and a shiver made its way up his spine. How had he never noticed how hot she was before this mission?

She spread her thighs and he pulled back to look down at her face. She reached down between them and helped guide him into her. Despite the urge to just thrust and take, he went slowly, watching her carefully for any signs of discomfort.

When he didn’t find any, he leaned down to kiss her as he worked his way into her with shallow thrusts until he was seated all the way inside. He fisted the blankets on either side of her head and forced himself not to move. Tension was building in his lower back and tightening his abdomen. He could tell that it had been a while from how tight she was and the way she’d stiffened once he’d started to push into her, though, so stayed still.

She felt so good, and not just where his dick was buried in her. Being this close to her, having her wrapped around him while her breath tickled his ear and her fingers flexed against his back was one of the best things he’d experienced in a long time.

Then she made an impatient sound and arched against him and he realized that, yeah, it could still get better. He started thrusting shallowly against her and when she turned her head and pressed kisses against his jaw and neck he got the message.

He turned his head and kissed her and it was open-mouthed and wet and his next thrust was less controlled. She gasped and moved a hand down to his ass in obvious encouragement and before long his movements were powerful enough that the bed was creaking, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about the noise.

She moaned out his name and tightened around him and his orgasm hit him from seemingly nowhere. He made an odd, choked-off sound that would probably be embarrassing if he cared about things like pride at that moment and pushed his face into her neck while he shivered and twitched his way through it. When he was done he had enough brainpower left to fall to the side instead of on top of her, and he tugged her pliant body against him.

He started pressing kisses against every bit of flesh he could find, and after a minute she laughed and pushed half-heartedly at him. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close to his side, contentment wrapping its way around him and making him feel drowsy and self-satisfied.

“You’re so gorgeous,” he murmured and from the little sound she made and the way she pressed her face into his shoulder, he just knew she was blushing.

Still, as he drifted off to sleep he heard her say in a low voice, “You are, too.”

He didn’t wake up until late the following morning, which meant they’d both slept for over ten hours. He supposed they’d needed it after the past few weeks. He was on his back and Hinata was curled up against his side. They’d ended up under the covers at some point in the night, which was too bad since he’d have liked to see her naked again.

Still, he knew he’d have other chances, considering they were officially dating now, and he slipped out of bed. They needed to head out soon. They were already a full day behind schedule. He pulled on his pants and a shirt and slipped out the door.

He’d grab Hinata some fruit and tea as an apology for having to wake her up. He supposed he’d worn her out the night before when he’d woken her up for another round. His whole body heated at the memory of pushing into her from behind while he’d held her hips up and spread her legs further apart with his knees.

She’d pressed her face into the pillows to muffle her moans, but he’d still heard them. He had assumed sex with her would be good, since she was beautiful and he was undeniably smitten with her, but it was better than simply good. She was extremely hot in bed, and he was the lucky bastard that she’d chosen to date.

“I was going to ask if last night went well, but I can see from your expression that it did.” Shikamaru startled when Mei appeared in front of him.

He scowled at her words. “Last night is none of your business,” he muttered, used to her teasing after being subjected to it for so long.

She followed him into the kitchen and he ignored her pout. “What, aren’t you going to thank me for helping your relationship along?”

“How was forcing me to pretend to be your lover helping my relationship along?”

There was already a pot of tea out on the table and he nodded hello to Ao and Han, who were both eating a bowl of oatmeal. He went to the cupboard to grab a few mugs.

“Well, I made you realize how important she was to you!”

“I already knew that,” he said with a sigh and moved to the table to pour the tea.

“Well, yeah, but you were doing the boy thing where you’re all ‘I’m not ready! Relationships are scary!’”

“You know, I’m pretty sure kage are supposed to be dignified.”

“And shinobi are supposed to be manly men who don’t get bent out of shape over little things like relationships.”

He escaped her clutches a few minutes later only after he reminded her that he and Hinata had to get ready to go. He somehow got the bedroom door open despite balancing two full mugs and some fruit.

He promptly spilled hot tea over his hand when he was met with the image of Hinata hunched over on the bed crying into her hands. “Hinata!”

She froze and dropped her hands far enough to look at him through wide, tear-filled eyes.

He somehow kept it together enough to shut the door behind him with a foot before darting over to the side of the bed and setting the tea and fruit down on the small table there. He ignored the stinging pain on his hand and crawled into the bed next to her.

Hinata crying was rapidly becoming one of his least favorite things. He wrapped his arms around her and she didn’t resist his pull. He was distracted momentarily by the fact that she was still naked, but when she sniffled his concern took over.

He tightened his arms around her. “Did I hurt you last night? Did we move too quickly?”

She shook her head and pressed against him and he thought she might be embarrassed because she kept her face shoved into his shoulder. “Sweetheart, you’re going to have to give me something, here, because I’m freaking out.”

She hesitated before pulling back. Her eyes were red and swollen and her cheeks were bright red. “It - it’s nothing. I’m sorry I worried you.” She was staring down at the blankets, holding them in place with one hand, and he tugged lightly on a hunk of hair that had fallen forward until she looked up at him.

“If you don’t want to tell me, that’s your choice. But you have to know that I’ll worry about it all day. It’s not the reaction I was hoping for after last night.”

She bit her lip and looked away again. “It’s stupid,” she mumbled. “I had just woken up and wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Hinata.” His voice went flat as he ran out of patience. If he’d done something wrong, he needed to know about it.

Her next words came out in a rush. “I just - I woke up and you weren’t there and I thought that maybe you had changed your mind.”

Shikamaru’s lips parted in surprise. That was not what he’d expected. “Hinata...where would I even go? We’re on a mission. I was just getting you some breakfast.”

She cringed. “I told you it was stupid.”

He felt a little hurt by her assumption. “I thought I had made myself pretty clear yesterday,” he said slowly. “I want to be with you. You can’t think I’d really go through all of that just to sleep with you and then peace out? That I’d do something like that?”

She jolted at his tone and finally looked up at him. “No!” She leaned forward and put a hand on his arm. “No, of course not. It wasn’t really about you. It was about my own insecurities. Please forgive me.”

“Your insecurities from your breakup with Naruto? Because I can guarantee I’m not secretly pining after Ino or something. I’d notice something like that.”

Her lips turned up into a half-hearted smile and she tugged the blankets up to cover herself where they’d started to fall down her chest. Shikamaru did his best to not be disappointed since it seemed like this was a conversation he needed to focus on. That would be impossible if she started flashing him.

“No. Not from Naruto. There was...somebody else. After him.”

Shikamaru leaned back in surprise. “What? How did I not know that?”

Hinata looked down at the blanket and plucked at a fuzzy that had made a home there. “It didn’t last long and I never told anybody about it. I was...well, I guess I wasn’t thinking straight after everything. He was nice to me and attentive and I didn’t look closely enough to see that he didn’t actually care about me.”

She bit her lip and hunched further into herself. “I slept with him,” she admitted in a small voice. “The next morning when I woke up he was gone. I found out later it had just been a challenge for him. Being the daughter of the Hyuuga clan head and the ex of the future Hokage made me seem unattainable. He does it with girls a lot, though I didn’t know that at the time. I suppose I was lonely and didn’t want to see that he wasn’t sincere.”

She looked up at him and her eyes widened. “I know you’re not like that, Shikamaru,” she said, but honestly, her earnestness was lost on him as he contemplated different ways to get away with murder. “I guess I just got a little caught up in the memory. It wasn’t a very pleasant experience.”

Shikamaru put his hand on the bed to steady himself and breathed deeply through clenched teeth. “His name.”

Hinata blinked. “W-what?”

“What’s his name?”

“Why do you want to know that?” She looked honestly bewildered, and he wrapped his arms around her and crushed her to his chest. “Because I”m going to kill him,” he said seriously.

“Shikamaru,” she scolded, though it was muffled against his chest. “You can’t do that. Besides, after I found out I closed half his tenketsu points and left him out in a summer rainstorm overnight. I believe he’s learned his lesson,” she finished primly after she turned her head enough that she could peek up at him.

He stared down at her for a long moment before chuckling. His shoulders relaxed and he tugged her up so that he could kiss her. “Every time I think you can’t get more amazing, you prove me wrong.”

She licked her lips and leaned against him. “You’re the one who’s amazing. I’m sorry I doubted you.”

“Eh, it was more of a gut reaction, I understand.” He tugged at her blanket and she made a small, charming noise of embarrassment when it fell to her waist. “But I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me.”

She didn’t protest when he pushed her back against the sheets.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata and Shikamaru head back to Konoha, where Kakashi has a (terrible, horrible) surprise for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's pretty much all cheese from here. Prepare yourselves.

Shikamaru looked around the empty warehouse, vacillating between concern and relief. Cots lay abandoned on one end, gathering dust. They’d already explored the surrounding area, which was just as empty as the warehouse.

There were training fields and storage facilities peppered throughout a half-mile radius of the building. They showed signs of heavy use, but it was obvious nobody had been there for weeks. It was the third Ketsueki base they’d visited since arriving in Earth Country two weeks ago. The others were all the same.

Hinata stood next to him, cowl up and arms crossed under her breasts. “They’ve all gone,” she said in a low voice. There was no reason to be so quiet, but the place felt like a graveyard.

“No money and no leader means no army, I suppose,” Shikamaru mused. Hinata hummed her agreement and he wished he could see her expression. He knew she was still upset about how things had played out with Hanada and Raido.

“Do you think Raido managed to get word to somebody about us?”

“Nah. Hanada was only there for about a day before they took you. Sending messages in and out of a ninja village without them being noted isn’t so easy. Come on, let’s go.”

Hinata followed him without complaint. She stayed silent on the way back to Iwa and Shikamaru was too lost in thought to try and strike up a conversation. Kurotsuchi would have to watch her villages and borders closely since the people who had been training in the facilities were now cut loose. Unlike those who had been forced into labor in the other bases, these people had most likely been petty criminals who had agreed to join Ketsueki.

There were probably a few Westerners halfway across Wind on their way back to their country, too, but the Fourth Tsuchikage had already sent word to Gaara. Hopefully, his forces would catch up to them.

He mulled over the issue of next steps while they changed out of their Haoru disguises, though he did take a small break from thinking in favor of watching Hinata undress. Some things needed the proper amount of appreciation. His extremely attractive girlfriend wearing nothing but her underwear was one of them.

Then they were back on the move and Shikamaru once again fell into pondering the right way to deal with the Westerners. Diplomacy would be the ideal and next best step. They should send a contingent from the Allied Forces. Naruto should probably be in it. Some medics, too, along with people from the Science Divisions of different villages. They could help with relief efforts for Raido’s people.

Shikamaru started going through a list of top-ranking officials and shinobi from the other villages who were good diplomats. Temari and her fiance would cover two villages. Chojuro would be a smart selection since it was widely accepted that he would be the next Mizukage.

“Shikamaru.” They had arrived at the spot where they were supposed to meet the person guiding them back into Iwa. Hinata had a soft, fond smile on her face and he wondered how long they’d been there without him noticing.

“Ah, sorry, I was just thinking.” He rubbed the back of his neck and she put a hand over her mouth when she laughed.

“I figured. It doesn’t look like our guide is back yet.”

He let a slow smile grow across his face and stepped forward. He tucked two fingers into the waistband of her shorts and tugged her towards him. She shuffled forward without complaint and he leaned down until his lips were only an inch away from her own. “Whatever will we do with the extra time?”

He didn’t wait for her to reply before swooping down and slotting his lips over her own.

000

The moment they crossed into Fire Country, Hinata felt her shoulders relax and her heart grow lighter. The sun was warm on her face despite being well into the winter months. There was no snow on the ground, but then it didn’t tend to stick around for more than a few days unless you were in higher elevations.

They stopped to rest for a few hours that night despite both of their eagerness to get home. They were sitting on a wide branch high up in a tree, using the trunk as a backrest with both their blankets spread across them. Hinata tucked herself against Shikamaru’s side and dozed for about an hour before he shook her awake so she could keep watch while he slept.

She studied him in between scanning the surrounding area with her Byakugan. He looked much younger while asleep, no scowl while he complained or furrowed brow while he worked through a problem.

Hinata was still in a bit of shock that they were together. She was terrified that it would all fall apart once they were back in the village, when people inevitably started talking and questioning Shikamaru’s choice.

Nobody would see this coming. _She_ never saw it coming. Shikamaru was cynical and his level of intelligence was almost beyond comprehension. Hinata was quiet and more concerned with being kind than being smart. They were just so different.

“Stop it.” Hinata jolted when his eyes opened and bit her lip to hold back a smile when his brow turned down into a frown.

“Stop what?” She reached up and pushed a piece of his hair that had come loose back, reveling in the fact that she was allowed to do so. He leaned down and kissed her and she pressed up against him. Hinata would probably never get tired of him kissing her. Unsurprisingly, he was fantastic at it, and they either filled her with a warm contentment or a burning ache. Shikamaru was an expert at pulling just the reactions he wanted from her body after only a few weeks.

He hummed after he pulled away and when she opened her eyes he was grinning down at her. “Stop worrying. I can feel you doing it even in my sleep.”

Hinata’s cheeks tingled and she tucked her face into the spot where his neck met shoulder. “I can’t help it. Once we’re back and everybody knows, it’ll be different.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her firmly against him so that she felt the vibrations in his chest when he talked. “It will also be exactly the same. People are a pain, I know, but my feelings won’t change.”

“How do you always know the right thing to say?” she asked once she was sure her voice wouldn’t shake from the giddiness bubbling up in her chest at his words.

“I’m pretty sure I only say the right thing when it comes to you about forty percent of the time.”

His voice was dry and she laughed, something she seemed to do a lot around him. “I disagree. You’ve said all the right things since the night that you asked me out.”

She didn’t even have to look up to know he was wearing a self-satisfied expression. It was so strange to know him so well after only a few months. She turned her head and pressed her slightly-parted lips against his throat. He shivered and after a second’s hesitation, she flicked her tongue against his skin.

He groaned and she didn’t resist when he tugged on her hair lightly, tipping her head back so that he could slot his lips over hers. They kissed for a long time, Hinata’s mouth open under his. He lapped and nipped at her until she was desperate to have him closer. She rose up on her knees without breaking their kiss and his hands steadied her when she flung one leg over his outstretched ones so that she was straddling his lap. After unzipping his flack jacket and pushing it open, she was able to spread her thighs so that she was pressed against him from chest to groin. She made a small sound of relief at the contact and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

He had one hand in her hair and the other spread out across her lower back, urging her close enough that she could feel him growing hard under her. His mouth moved from her lips and across her jaw, breath leaving a damp trail in its wake.

“Activate your Byakugan,” he said against her throat, voice faltering when she pressed down against him. “Make sure there’s no one around.”

It took a few seconds for his words to make sense, and when they did she paused. Did she really want to have sex outside, in the open? Shikamaru jerked his hips up towards her and pressed down on her back and she could feel her underwear growing damp when he pressed his dick against her center. She knew they should probably stop, but she also knew how good it felt to have him inside of her.

She leaned back and looked down at him, chewing on her lip. Shikamaru stared up at her through half-closed eyes, lips shining in the moonlight from their saliva and cheeks flushed. With his flak jacket pushed open and his shirt rumpled from where she’d fisted her hands in it, he already looked halfway to debauched.

The decision was easy to make after that. Hinata didn’t want to wait until they were back in the village. She activated her Byakugan and he made a low sound of relief, both of his hands fumbling between them to unbutton his pants while she made sure there was nobody around for miles.

She scrambled back on her knees to kneel between his thighs, the air a cool relief on her overheated skin when the blankets fell with the movement. He’d barely pulled himself out of his pants before she leaned down and wrapped her lips around him. He made a sound that was half-exclamation, half-groan.

Hinata really loved doing this to him, and having him in this position was the perfect opportunity. Shikamaru tended to put all of the focus on her when they were making love. Hinata knew that he derived pleasure from making her feel good, so she didn’t mind. Still, there was something about making him fall apart under her mouth and hands that was satisfying on a base level.

She bobbed her head down and tilted her face up so she could see him. His head was pressed back against the tree, the tendons in his neck standing out. One of his hands was fisted in a fallen blanket and the other was cupping the back of her head. She hollowed her cheeks when she pulled back and a flash of heat moved over her skin and throbbed in her groin when he arched up towards her and said her name. Hinata pressed down until her nose was almost touching the hair at the base of his penis and his breath started coming in small pants.

“Hinata, baby, you have to stop, or I’m going to -” She pulled off of him and the noise he made was sad, despite him being the one to request that she stop.

She considered going back down and finishing him with her mouth, but she wanted him inside her. They were going to be back in the village tomorrow - who knew when they’d have time to be together again? She fumbled with the button on her shorts and his gaze focused on her when she pushed them down over her hips along with her underwear, then shuffled back and forth until she was able to kick them off her legs. She left her stockings where they were - Shikamaru, she’d discovered, liked it when she left them on.

Then she crawled up to straddle him again and his hands reached out and tugged her close. She leaned down and kissed him, open-mouthed and without finesse. He reached between them and lined them up and they both groaned when she lowered herself down on him.

“I can’t believe you’re letting me do this to you outside. God, you’re so hot, nobody else but me knows how fucking _hot_ you are.”

Hinata shivered at his words - when he said them, they felt _true,_ and she’d never felt as sexy as she did when she was with him. He was staring up at her face and his hands were everywhere. They were guiding her hips as she moved up and down, running over her breasts or trailing over where stockings met thigh, pulling her hair until she bared her neck so that he could lick and nip at it.

The pressure was already building, he was hitting her so perfectly with every bounce at that angle. He pushed his hand between them and started rubbing her clit with firm swipes of his thumb and everything in her clenched.

“Come on,” he said through gritted teeth, “Come on, baby, I can’t - I need you to -”

Hinata flung her head back and pushed her hips forward so she was pressed more firmly against his thumb and the pleasure crested. His other hand tightened on her hip and held her in place a few inches above him so he could thrust up into her while she rode out her orgasm. It only took a few pumps before he tensed and squeezed his eyes shut and she felt him come inside of her.

They both collapsed at the same time, Hinata prone against his chest and him pressed back against the trunk of the tree. Her thighs were burning and she was pulling air into her lungs in deep gasps. She could hear Shikamaru’s thundering heartbeat where her ear was pressed to his chest.

He was rubbing one hand up and down her back and pressing his lips against her hair. Despite the goosebumps starting to spread across her bare skin and the extremely exposed position they were in, Hinata was fairly certain she’d never been more content. Shikamaru cut through the silence a few minutes later and she could hear the amusement in his voice even though she couldn’t see him from her position. “Well, that was unexpected. And awesome, definitely awesome.”

Hinata pushed her face more firmly against his shoulder. She couldn't really believe she'd just done that. He laughed when she resisted his gentle attempts to disentangle them. “Hinata, as much as I enjoy this position, we should really get dressed before a patrol happens to go past and drop in for a chat.”

That got her attention, and she scrambled off of him, wobbling on her knees when she activated her Byakugan at the same time. “Nobody’s around,” she said after a moment and avoided looking at Shikamaru while she started looking around for her panties and shorts.

She heard him moving around and then the unmistakable sounds of zippers being drawn up. Her brow furrowed when she didn’t see her clothes on the branch anywhere. She reached for a blanket and wrapped it around her waist before standing for a better view. They definitely weren’t on the branch. Maybe they’d gone over the edge when she kicked them off? She couldn’t really remember what direction she’d sent them off to. She leaned over the branch and squinted her eyes, but it was difficult to see anything in the dark.

“Problem, princess?” Hinata jumped and then flailed and only the judicious use of chakra kept her from taking a nosedive off the branch.

“N-no. No problem!” Hinata had only lost her pants after seducing her boyfriend in a _tree._

“Hinata.”

She turned away from him and moved to look over the other side. He sighed and his arms wrapped around her and he pulled her back against his chest. He leaned down and she bit her lip when his nose ran along the shell of her ear. “Baby. Did you lose something?”

She shivered at the way moist air moved across her ear at his low words. Her stomach tightened and she wanted him all over again. Was this normal? Was she supposed to want to get into bed with him and then never leave it?

“I - I can’t find my shorts,” she said, giving in to the inevitable. His chuckle sent another jolt through her still-sensitive clit. Shikamaru had turned her into a sex addict.

“Hmm, that is a problem. Not for me, maybe - easy access is easy access, after all - _oof.”_

She pulled her elbow out of his stomach and stepped away from him, then straightened her blanket primly. “Yes, well, eventually we’ll be around other people. I suppose if you’re okay with them seeing me without my pa -”

“Ah, I guess we could consider this a joint problem, then,” he rushed to say. When she glanced over he was rubbing his stomach, but his lips were quirked up into a smile. He was always in a playful mood after sex. If he was still awake, anyway. “Don’t worry, your prince is here to rescue you.”

Hinata couldn’t help her small laugh despite her embarrassment. “Rescue me from being pantless?”

“That’s right. Wait for me here, my love,” he said dramatically before stepping off the branch and disappearing from sight.

She shook her head even as her chest warmed at the endearment. He appeared only a minute or so later, her shorts in one hand and her panties in the other. Hinata covered her face with her hands, though it was hard to hold onto her embarrassment when he was laughing so freely. Hinata cleaned up and got dressed so they could leave. The rest of the trip back to the village was full of light touches and gentle teasing.

The sun had been up for an hour when they returned to Konoha. Hinata stopped just inside the gates and let out a long breath. Shikamaru walked a few steps before he realized she was no longer next to him. He glanced back at and her breath caught at the way the sunlight fell across his face.

“Coming ba - uh, Hinata?” He glanced over at the chunin at the gates but they were more focused on squabbling over a pastry than his almost-slip.

She smiled and nodded before clasping her hands in front of her and moving up to his side. Their arms brushed as they walked and every time she glanced over his eyes were on her. She bit her lip and looked down, stomach fluttering and cheeks warm. They were ushered into Kakashi’s office immediately upon arrival. He was sitting behind his desk with three scrolls opened in front of him. His hair was as slouched as his posture, but his grey eyes were sharp and focused on them.

“So.” He leaned back and laced his fingers together in front of his chest, elbows resting lightly on the arms of his chair. Shikamaru and Hinata both straightened and all of the butterflies in her stomach disappeared.

“Hokage-sama,” they both said and he sighed.

“You’ll turn in written reports on the diplomatic portion of your mission. Verbal reports for the rest. First Hinata, then Shikamaru. The room is secure.”

Hinata fumbled with her words at first, surprised to be asked to give the report. Soon she relaxed into the gentle cadence of her own voice, however. When she described what she’d seen at the Ketsueki base in Sand she felt Shikamaru’s gaze on her. She’d never told him the details and would have liked to avoid it, but she knew she couldn’t skip them when speaking to her Hokage.

Kakashi didn’t say anything about her mistake that led to her injury in Sand, either. He did snort when she tried to delicately describe Hanada’s behavior towards her on the ship to Kiri. She spoke for almost half an hour straight and by the end, her throat was parched. She shifted from one foot to the other while she waited for him to say something, nerves getting the best of her. She never had gotten as comfortable with Kakashi as most of the Konoha Twelve.

“Sounds like you two didn’t spend a lot of time with shining beacons of humanity,” he said before gesturing at Shikamaru to start.

Hinata wanted a drink of water but knew better than to fumble around while her team was reporting to the Hokage. She paid close attention to the parts Shikamaru focused on. She could see why Kakashi had asked for both their viewpoints. Shikamaru was more analytical, giving a rundown of the failures and successes and the nuances in between. Hinata had focused more on the people and situation. She was envious of his relaxed state even while talking to the Rokudaime.

“Alright,” Kakashi said. He was leaning forward now and looking down at the papers in front of him. “What are your proposed next steps, Shikamaru?”

Hinata looked between them and wondered if she should excuse herself from the room. When neither of them looked her way she decided to just stay where she was. Shikamaru ambled over to his desk and took out a scroll, unsealing a small pile of paperwork. They poured over a piece of paper that she’d seen him scribbling on during their last few days in Iwa. “I think we need to send a diplomatic contingent with representatives from all the villages. We can offer aid to the areas that are affected by the drought and try to come up with some sort of treaty. We can, uh, encourage them to agree to peace talks with a show of force at the border by the Allied Shinobi Forces.”

Kakashi hummed and tapped a finger on the desk. “You think our forces will want to help the people who were enslaving their citizens?”

“It was really just a small, independent group of Westerners,” Hinata broke in and licked her lips when Kakashi’s eyes flicked towards her. “Their government isn’t centralized, so we should assume it was the work of radicals. And there were guilty parties who live here, too.”

“Plus, not many people know what they were doing,” Shikamaru added and Hinata let out a breath of relief when the attention turned from her again.

Kakashi nodded, looking for all the world like an indulgent uncle instead of one of the pillars of the ninja world. “I see, I see. Hmm, Temari and her fiance, huh? Naruto and, hm, Hinata? No, no, that won’t work.”

Hinata jolted at her name and she looked over at Shikamaru. Had he really suggested her for such an important mission? Even though they were dating, he would only put her name forward if he thought she could do it. He really did have a lot of faith in her.

Shikamaru scowled down at Kakashi’s hand, which was scribbling notes on the paper. “She did a good job as a diplomatic representative. She’ll also show compassion for their situation, but she won’t forget what they’ve done. She -”

“Is smack dab in the middle of a conspiracy set up by myself and three other kage,” Kakashi said, tone mild but firm. “I think it’s best that the person who killed the leader of one of their territories not be sent behind their borders, hm?”

Shikamaru snapped his mouth shut and rubbed the back of his neck. “They don’t know it was her,” he mumbled.

“Not that we know of. I’ve also heard that the Haoru are looking around, trying to figure out who impersonated them. I think it would be best if the two of you laid low for a while.”

Hinata wondered if this was a punishment of some sort. Shikamaru’s furrowed brow proved he was thinking something similar.

Kakashi resealed all of the paperwork with a flourish. “I don’t want you out of the village where you’re vulnerable until the chatter around this dies down. I was thinking Shikamaru can use the downtime to train some new ANBU recruits.”

Hinata’s eyes widened and she looked over at Shikamaru, who groaned and slouched. He’d been in ANBU? Her cheeks heated and she shifted from one foot to another. He was like every girl’s dream shinobi. Well, other than the whining he was currently doing.

“I hate training new recruits. They’re all smartasses and have stupid habits that will get them killed that they refuse to let go of until I beat it out of them. It’s such a pain.”

Kakashi nodded along with him until he was done. “I do know a thing or two about something being a pain. Take this request from Kiri for example.” He held up an innocuous-looking piece of paper and Shikamaru eyed it as if it might explode. “Apparently, they think it’d be a great show of diplomacy for Konoha to send some contractors to help them rebuild a dam that mysteriously exploded last month. And destroyed a whole valley.”

Shikamaru took a step back and cleared his throat and Hinata turned her attention to a potted plant in the corner. “It was the best option at the time,” Shikamaru said under his breath.

“Right, right. Very subtle, too, just like we discussed. While you’re training ANBU, Hinata can help out at the hospital and the missions desk.”

Shikamaru sighed and looked at the ceiling. “Anything else, Hokage-sama?”

“Just that all the kage have extended their compliments on how you comported yourselves as representatives of your village. I’ll be putting a note in both your files, and you’ll receive a bonus for getting the go-ahead on building the Great Road.”

“You’re not naming it the Great Road,” Shikamaru said, deadpan. Kakashi ignored him.

“T-thank you, Hokage-sama,” Hinata said and bowed, cheeks heating at his praise.

“Alright, off you go.” He shooed them away from his desk like they were a couple of over-eager puppies.

They were almost to the door when Kakashi’s voice stopped them. “Oh! I almost forgot. In two months, you’ll be switching to a new assignment.” Hinata looked at Shikamaru and saw her own dread reflected in his eyes. Kakashi sounded much too cheerful, and his voice had an ominous undertone to it.

“What’s that?” Shikamaru asked, eyes narrowed as he glanced back.

“Why, only the most important job you’ll ever be given. As of April Thirtieth, you’ll both be proud leaders of your very own team of genin!”

000

Shikamaru kept his forehead plastered to the table in front of him while Ino laughed. “It’s not funny,” he said for the fifth time that evening.

“I mean, it’s kind of funny. What did you even do that got you stuck on trainee duty for two months and made Kakashi decide to make you a jounin-sensei? Oh god, those poor kids,” she said and Chouji chuckled. Traitor.

Shikamaru sat up and collapsed back against the booth. “Classified.”

“Oooh, that bad, huh? What, did you sleep with the Mizukage?”

Shikamaru’s hand paused in its reach for his water glass and Ino screeched. “Oh my god, Shika, you did _not_ sleep with Terumi Mei!”

He kicked her shin under the table and she jumped and swore before leaning down to rub at the spot. “Shut up, Ino. God, you’re so loud. And for your information, that’s _classified._ And off the record, no, I did not.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and settled in for a good sulk while Ino started naming off theories as to what he possibly could have done to deserve such a horrible, awful punishment. Chouji lightly pressed his shoulder against his and when Shikamaru looked over his smile was sympathetic. This is why he liked Chouji the best.

“Shikamaru.” He jolted at the sound of Hinata’s voice and swore when his knee hit the bottom of the table painfully. Only Ino and Chouji’s quick reflexes kept the water glasses from falling over.

Shikamaru was too busy staring up at Hinata to pay attention to Ino’s exclamations. She had covered her lips with one hand but he could still see her smile in the curve of her cheeks and the crinkles around her eyes. Had she always been this beautiful? It had only been two days since he saw her - they’d both been busy with their families and friends - but it suddenly felt like much longer.

She was wearing a long-sleeved fitted dress with stockings covering her legs and he wondered if they stopped mid-thigh or if they went all the way up. Kiba was standing behind her, eyes already searching the room for a table. Why was it just the two of them? Not a date, he was sure. Hinata wouldn’t do that after everything. Unless Kiba thought it was a date when it really wasn’t. Was Kiba in love with her? He’d be crazy not to be, honestly.

He cleared his throat when he realized he’d been staring for too long. “Hinata. Hi. Hey. You look nice. That dress. It’s good. Uh.”

Ino was staring at him with parted lips and wide eyes and Kiba had turned and was studying him with two raised brows. Hinata was blushing, and yep, it was still awesome every time.

“Thank you,” she said. She brought both her hands down in front of her and looked at her feet, strands of her long hair falling forward at the movement.

Shikamaru licked his lips and looked between her and Kiba. “You two are here for dinner?”

Kiba laughed. “Jeez, Nara, you hit your head on your mission? Yeah, we’re here for dinner. Haven’t seen her for almost three months, you know.”

“Right. Yeah. Of course.” Hinata was looking from him to Ino and Chouji and then back again. The longer they stood there the more downtrodden she looked, but he wasn’t sure what to do. Should he just announce that they were dating? Was she okay with that? They’d never really discussed when they should tell other people.

“You two wanna sit with us?” he blurted when Kiba took a step back.

He stopped and looked at the one open spot next to Ino. “Uh, I don’t think there’s room, dude.”

Hinata bit her lip and now her gaze was practically glued to the floor. He remembered what she’d said in the tree on their way back before they - okay, he couldn’t think about that while in public. She had been worried he’d change his mind under the scrutiny of all their friends. If there was one thing he knew about Hinata, it was that she’d come up with all sorts of insecurities if he let her.

He sighed and decided that if he was wrong, she could just slap him and go on her merry way. Then he’d chase after her and beg for forgiveness. A solid backup plan if this one failed. “Eh, we’ll make it work,” he said to Kiba, then reached out and wrapped his hand around her wrist.

She looked up at him and her eyes widened. “Shikamaru, what -”

He tugged on her arm and she stumbled forward. He used her moment of confusion to reach out with his other hand and put it around her waist. He twisted and pulled and she ended up sprawled across his lap sideways, feet hanging out of the side of the booth.

One of her arms was squished between them and the other was resting on his shoulder. Her eyes were wide as they stared up at him and her cheeks were flushed a deep red.

“Shikamaru, what are you doing?” Ino’s voice was high with disbelief and Kiba took a step forward.

“What the hell, man! You can’t just -”

Shikamaru ignored them and ducked so that his face was closer to Hinata’s. “Okay?”

She hesitated, then leaned against him nodded once. Shikamaru casually knocked Kiba’s hand away when he reached for Hinata. Then he leaned down and kissed her. The sounds of Ino’s surprise and Kiba’s disbelief faded into the background when she leaned into it.

He kept it chaste. Hinata was not the type to let him shove his tongue down her throat in public. Still, he took his time, moving his lips over hers lightly, enjoying the way she pressed against him and how her fingers tightened on his shirt. He pulled back after a few seconds and kissed the tip of her nose once before leaning back against the booth.

Hinata sat up and he helped her turn so that her legs were facing in, draped over his knee. She wasn’t fully in his lap - the booths were big, since it was an Akimichi restaurant, made to accommodate four of their clan members. There was just enough space for her to be only halfway on top of him, most of her butt on the six inches of space between the end of the booth and Shikamaru’s thigh.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders to keep her securely next to him. She fit against him nicely, her head resting against the crook of his neck. Despite her obvious embarrassment, she had a small, happy smile on her face and the hand not pressed between them rested on his thigh. Shikamaru was now pressed closer to Chouji than he normally would be, but it was honestly worth it.

Kiba plopped down in the seat across from them, mouth open and eyes wide. “Holy shit,” he said, voice faint. “I did not expect this.”

Ino was leaning forward from where she’d scooted down to make space for him. “Me either. Damn, Shika. I guess this is why you got punishment duty?”

Shikamaru glared at her. “No, Ino, not even close. Hinata had nothing to do with that.”

“Well, um, that’s not exactly true,” she said and everybody leaned closer to hear her soft tone over the sounds of the restaurant around them. “That is...the thing that got him punishment duty, I was a part of. I’m also stuck in-village, and will be a jounin sensei.”

He sighed when she smiled. She was actually _excited_ about it. His whole body shivered with the force of his horror and she laughed softly. He looked down at her and couldn’t help the small twist of his lips when she beamed up at him.

“Woah. Did he just smile? Does he do that? What the fuck?”

Shikamaru sighed when Kiba broke their moment and looked back over at him. He and Ino were both staring at him with a sort of sick fascination. He slumped and Hinata patted his thigh. Which worked to distract him, but not in a good way if he didn’t want to embarrass both of them. “Hinata’s right. We both got in trouble, but it doesn’t have anything to do with us dating. Like I said, it’s classified.”

Chouji leaned around Shikamaru and smiled at Hinata while Ino and Kiba both mouthed the word _dating_ , then exchanged wide-eyed looks. “Congratulations, you two. You make a good pair.”

Hinata’s smile widened and she ducked her head as she murmured her thanks. Yep, Chouji was definitely his favorite. The waitress appeared just as Ino leaned forward to say something that would probably be horribly embarrassing.

“What can I get you guys?” she asked after looking at Hinata’s position and smiling indulgently at them.

Shikamaru kissed the top of her head while Chouji ordered for the table. When Kiba protested one of his choices - a rookie move, honestly - he leaned down so his lips were close to her ear. “Missed you. Come over after dinner?”

She glanced up at him and he swallowed and shifted at the way his abdomen tightened. “Okay,” she said.

“Hey! What are you two whispering about?” Kiba demanded. Shikamaru sighed when he pointed at him. “Hinata’s a sweet girl, you better not be -”

“Kiba,” Hinata said in a gentle tone that still managed to convey her annoyance. Shikamaru raised a brow when he crossed his arms over his chest and glowered down at the table, but stopped yelling. That was a useful trick. Especially if they ever had kids.

Shikamaru inhaled the water he was drinking at the stray thought and spent the next two minutes coughing and sputtering. Hinata had sat up and was rubbing a hand up and down his back, brow furrowed. He waved off her concern when he could breathe again. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” he gasped.

Chouji was staring at him like he knew exactly what had just happened. Shikamaru sometimes wondered if he was the secret mindreader of their group instead of Ino, who was just laughing at him, the witch.

“Hinata, are you sure you wanna attach yourself to that?” Ino asked as soon as Shikamaru was settled back against the booth. His arm was starting to fall asleep but he wasn't willing to ask Hinata to move.

Hinata smiled at Ino and shrugged. “I am,” she said simply and Shikamaru cursed himself when he blushed. Of course Ino and Kiba noticed and he suffered through their teasing through the next hour and a half.

Still, it was all worth it later that evening when Hinata followed him into his apartment and let him press her against the wall of his hallway and explore exactly how high up her stockings went. Not even the thought of his soon-to-be genin team could take away his contentment the next morning when he woke up and she was lying next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all deserved every moment of smut and fluff in that chapter. You waited so long!


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shikamaru hates his genin. Except for when he doesn't.

“Shikamaru-sensei, why are we sitting in a tree staring at the road?” Gaku asked, voice high and grating. His ninken, Bee, barked right next to Shikamaru’s ear.

“He already told you that we’re practicing surveillance,” Ikumi said in a prim tone. She was on the branch below them, one leg crossed over the other and her pupil-less blue eyes focused on the road. Shikamaru was fairly certain that Kakashi had thought saddling him with Ino’s cousin was hilarious.

“More like practicing stalking,” Daiji said. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was glaring at nothing. The only civilian-born kid on the team, he had a chip on his shoulder that was bigger than Konoha and liked to dress all in black.

Shikamaru hated them. Even if they were, sometimes, maybe, a little bit cute when they acted all in awe of him. Something that happened with less and less frequency these days. Shikamaru ignored their bickering while secretly planning to punish them with extra D-ranks. If Tora Retrieval was available, he was signing them up for it.

“Why did Team 5 get to go on a C-rank and we had to stay here?” Gaku stuck his lip out to punctuate just how unfair of a situation this was. Did children ever stop whining? Two months of this was enough to make him reconsider his fantasies of tiny Nara with Byakugan napping in the backyard of the house he’d been considering buying.

“Because Hinata is a braver soul than I am,” Shikamaru mumbled, then straightened when he saw four figures appear around the bend of the road they were staking out.

“Well, that’s obvious. Big sister Ino says that Hinata-sensei is a hero for putting up with you.”

“Of course she does.” Shikamaru dropped out of the tree and landed lightly in the road, dust pluming up around his sandals. He put his hands in his pockets and started to walk towards his target.

He sighed when he realized his genin were still in the tree, arguing about whether his stalking was romantic or creepy. He released a sharp whistle and they raced to get down and join him. He started walking again, only the awareness that it wouldn’t be very cool in the eyes of his genin to take off into a run towards his girlfriend keeping his pace sedate.

He and Hinata had enjoyed over four months of both of them being in the village, thanks to Kakashi’s orders to lay low. He’d gotten used to waking up next to her. So he’d been in a foul mood the past four days after she’d taken her genin team on a short mission to deliver a package to the Daimyo in the capital.

When they got close enough that he could see her features his shoulders relaxed. He drank in the sight of her gentle smile and shining hair, taking a moment to appreciate her shorts and stockings. He loved those stupid things.

“Hi,” she said over the din of six genin greeting each other with enthusiasm. They ended up having enough shared team practices and D-ranks (Shikamaru liked them because Hinata didn’t complain when he napped while she made sure nobody died) that they’d become friends.

Ino had started calling them Team 5 Dash 9 since it was so normal to see them all together. “Hey.” He turned so that he fell into step next to her. They didn’t do public displays of affection in front of the genin, but she reached over and squeezed his forearm before dropping her hand back to her side.

“Hey, Shikamaru-sensei.” He looked over at the boy who had ambled up next to him, posture almost identical to Shikamaru’s own.

“Hi, Joji,” he said to his tiny clan member, wary of tricks. He was Ensui’s eldest son and had developed a bit of a crush on Hinata since she became his sensei. As a result, he now glowered at Shikamaru a lot and was constantly attempting to subtly sabotage him in front of Hinata. “How was your first C-rank?”

“Eh. It was okay. It would have been boring, but Hinata-sensei told us stories about her own genin team. She’s very well-spoken,” he said in a tone that was positively dreamy for him.

“That’s very kind of you to say.” Hinata leaned around Shikamaru to smile at Joji, whose cheeks turned just the slightest bit red. Shikamaru’s eyes narrowed and he sidled closer to Hinata.

Joji looked away and shrugged. “Well, everybody does say we got the best jounin-sensei.”

“Joji, you’re such a suck-up,” Airi, the female genin on Hinata’s team, said. Shikamaru silently agreed with her assessment.

Gaku jumped to his defense. “Yeah, Shikamaru-sensei’s awesome. He taught us how to make traps while you were gone. I was the best at it.” He puffed his little chest out and his ninken pranced around his feet.

Shikamaru warmed at his words. Then Ikumi ruined it by saying, “Though I did almost drown when he fell asleep instead of watching us. That water trap was a little too good, Gaku.”

Shikamaru hunched his shoulders at Hinata’s mild look of censure. How she managed to scold him without saying anything remained a mystery. “I got her out in time,” he said and kicked at a rock in the road.

“Yeah, and he took us out to ice cream after!” Gaku added. “Though...we were supposed to not talk to you about what happened in exchange...”

Had the area around Hinata’s eyes darkened? The hairs on the back of Shikamaru’s neck stood up and he cleared his throat and cast around for a change in subject. “Well, Kenta, what about you? What did you think of the mission?” The third member of Team 5 was almost as shy as Hinata had been as a child. He seemed to grow smaller under Shikamaru’s regard, but he managed to speak.

“It was fun. Hinata-sensei started teaching me medical jutsu.”

Shikamaru hummed. “You’re well suited to it with your chakra control.” Kenta’s parents wouldn’t be excited about the specialty. They were both combat-focused jounin, after all, and overbearing to the point where they’d made poor Kenta afraid to speak his mind. Shikamaru assumed he was the reason Hinata had been assigned their team. If there was anybody who would know how to deal with his situation, it was her.

“T-thank you, Shikamaru-sensei!” he said in a high-pitched voice, cheeks bright red.

“You two will have to take good care of him,” Shikamaru said around a yawn and pointed at Airi and Joji. “If your team medic is injured, who will heal the three of you?” They both nodded, Joji thoughtful and Airi determined.

“Hey, hey, who’s our team medic?” Gaku asked, bouncing in front of them and walking backward, head craned back to look between the two. The gates were looming up behind him and Shikamaru couldn’t wait to get Hinata and her team to the admin building and that much closer to her being in his apartment behind closed doors.

“Well, none of you have expressed interest in it, so I suppose you don’t have one. It’s okay, not all teams do -”

“But it’s better to have one, right?” Joji interrupted, brow furrowed as he tapped at his chin with a finger. “I mean, if you’re injured, a medic is important.”

Gaku was nodding along. His face lit up and he spun to point at Ikumi. “You should do it!”

Ikumi’s back stiffened and Shikamaru‘s shoulders slumped. Those two couldn’t go five minutes without arguing. “What, because I’m a girl I should be the medic? No way! I told you, I’m going to be a sword master, just like my mom.”

Gaku scoffed. “You’re a Yamanaka, you’re supposed to focus on capture and interrogation -”

“I can do both! Jounin are supposed to have multiple specialties -”

“I’ll do it,” Daiji said and glared at the five disbelieving looks he received. “What? I have the best chakra control on the team, and I’m good with senbon, which makes me a long-distance fighter, anyway.”

Shikamaru pressed his lips together to hide his smile when they all huddled together to discuss team specialties the rest of the walk. He glanced over at Hinata, who was watching them with a soft expression.

“They didn’t give you any trouble?” he asked in a low tone.

“No. They did well.”

They waved hello to the chunin at the gates and turned towards the admin building. “Of course they did. They love you. I’m pretty sure my team likes you better, too.”

Hinata laughed and shook her head. “No, they just like to give you a hard time. I know how much they respect you.”

Shikamaru ducked his head and shrugged. “Well. We all like it better when you’re there.”

“I like it better that way, too.”

Shikamaru ignored the wary looks around him when he smiled all the way up the stairs to the tower. Kakashi rolled his eyes when all eight of them shuffled into the room to report but didn’t kick Shikamaru’s team out. He herded his three monsters into the corner and threatened four days straight of D-ranks if they didn’t stay quiet while Hinata’s team reported in.

They took his words seriously because nobody spoke while Hinata’s soft voice detailed the (boring) mission. Kakashi signed off on their paperwork when she was done. “Good job, Team 5. You can collect your earnings on the way out. Next, it will be Team 9’s turn." He rubbed his hands together. "Shikamaru, come back tomorrow for your mission parameters.”

His genin’s cheers drowned out his groans. He had plans for tonight that involved he and Hinata staying in bed all day tomorrow. Stupid Kakashi. Stupid genin team.

“Alright, alright, that’s enough yelling,” Shikamaru said and shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. “You guys can scram, I’ll see you here tomorrow at ten -” Kakashi cleared his throat and Shikamaru sighed, “ - nine-thirty.”

“Wait, that’s it?” Ikumi said when he shuffled over to Hinata and prepared to convince her to skip stopping at the Hyuuga compound and just go straight home with him.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her scowl. “What else would there be?”

Ikumi put her hands on her hips and stomped a foot. “You’re not very romantic, Shikamaru-sensei! You’re supposed to drop down on one knee and ask her to marry you the moment you see her after your long separation.”

Shikamaru spluttered and flailed and Hinata made a small squeaking noise. Everybody else in the room went silent and focused on him. “I - what - why would you -”

Ikumi rolled her eyes and sighed as though greatly disappointed in him. “Sensei, big sister Ino told me that she helped you pick out a ring a few days ago. You can’t just not propose, now!”

Shikamaru’s cheeks heated when Hinata turned wide eyes on him. Kakashi leaned forward in obvious interest, no help at all. He was the worst Hokage in the world. This was all his fault.

“Ikumi,” he said and pinched the bridge of his nose between to fingers. “I had a plan, okay? It involved flowers and candles and _absolutely no genin.”_

“What? But Hinata-sensei is always saying that teams are like family. Don’t you want your family here when you do something so important?” Gaku asked and he actually looked hurt, the little brat. All of them except Joji, who seemed more horrified than anything, were staring up at him with wide, expectant eyes.

“Uh. Yes. I mean, yeah, okay, we’re family, but that doesn’t mean -”

“So you’ll do it,” Airi said and clapped her hands. “Oh, this is so exciting!”

“Yes, I agree,” Kakashi said and both his eyes were turned up into what Shikamaru thought might be a real smile.

Shikamaru chanced a look at Hinata, who was staring at him, eyes still wide. “I...” she said, then licked her lips and cleared her throat after studying his expression. He assumed he looked as hunted as he was feeling. She turned to the genin and put her hands on her hips. They all gulped simultaneously. “You shouldn’t put somebody on the spot like that. You don’t know how he feels or if he even really wants - even if you heard a rumor from your family, you shouldn’t be so presumptuous to think he’d -” she fumbled over her words and her voice was suspiciously thick.

Shikamaru sighed, giving in to the inevitable, and reached into his flak jacket for the box he’d been carrying around for three days. He hated his genin. _Hated them._

He got down on one knee and Airi made a sound that was similar to the one Gaku’s ninken had released when Shikamaru stepped on his tail last week. Hinata turned around when she saw their attention riveted on him and put her fingers over her mouth.

He opened the top of the box to reveal the engagement ring, princess cut and Ino-approved. “Hinata. I can’t believe I’m doing this in the missions room with an audience, but I guess there’s nothing I can do about nosy, bossy genin. So. I know we’ve only been dating for a few months but I...” he cleared his throat and looked up at her. “Well, I’m pretty much stupidly in love with you. So, uh. Will you marry me?”

Even Kakashi was holding his breath while they all waited for her answer. She stared down at the ring in obvious disbelief. Oh god, if she said no he’d never live it down. His heartbeat picked up and sweat gathered at the small of his back. The wood of the floor was digging into his knee and he was starting to map out quick exit strategies when she finally moved.

Her hand reached out and she touched the stone of the diamond lightly. “Really? You want to marry me?”

“I do,” he said and scowled when Joji snickered.

Then she smiled and his focus was back on her. “Yes. Yes, of course, I’ll marry you.”

He stood so fast that his knee popped, but he ignored the slight twinge of pain and wrapped his arms around her. The genin were cheering along with a group of ninja who had crowded up to the door and it was all extremely ridiculous but also kind of perfect.

“You really drew that out, woman,” he mumbled into her hair.

“Sorry. You surprised me.”

He pulled back. Her face was flushed, her eyes were bright and her smile was wide and happy and all for him. “Yeah, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot, but you know -”

“Genin,” she said with him and then laughed.

Their little terrors surrounded them and their words blurred together as they hopped around him exclaiming about love and whether their teams could now be combined for real. Daiji asked if Hinata was now their step-sensei, and only Kakashi clearing his throat shut them up.

He’d stood and wandered over to stand at the edge of the circle of genin. “I think you’re supposed to put the ring on her, now.”

Shikamaru’s cheeks heated but he took the ring out of the velvet without argument, then tossed the box to Gaku, who caught it with a grin. Hinata bit her lip and held up her hand. It was soft against his own and he slipped the ring on over her finger with slow, reverent movements. It fit, just like Ino had said it would. He stared down at the way it gleamed against her pale skin and swallowed. It looked right, like it belonged there.

He was pulled from his thoughts when multiple preteens glomped onto them. Hinata stumbled forward against his chest and he sighed but his lips twitched into a smile. “Kiss her,” Airi yelled.

“Yeah! You have to kiss!”

Shikamaru looked down at Hinata, who was bright red but wasn’t protesting. “Alright, alright, I’m doing it, quit your yelling.”

Her lips were soft under his own and he felt more than a little giddy at the thought that this was something he was allowed to do any time he wanted for the rest of forever. Marriage was going to be awesome. He pulled back after a few seconds, aware of their underaged audience, but was still satisfied with a job well done when he took in her glazed eyes.

“Well, I think this calls for a celebration.” Kakashi ignored Shizune’s weak protests about all the work he needed to do and snapped his fingers. An ANBU appeared next to him. “Rat, go collect Shikamaru and Hinata’s teams and family members and ask Akimichi Roji to close off the back room of her restaurant for us. Lunch is on me.”

“W-wait. My father - I should be the one to tell him,” Hinata said.

“Fine. You can stop by the Hyuuga compound and pick him up for the party,” he said, the picture of magnanimity. “I’ll see you in half an hour.”

He blurred away, Shizune hot on his heels with a stack of paperwork clutched to her chest. “I can’t believe he’s using us as an excuse to get out of work. And there’s no way he’ll actually pay for everybody’s meals,” Shikamaru said.

“Shikamaru...your mother. Does she know?”

He rubbed the back of his neck and started leading her through the gaggle of screeching genin, ignoring Joji’s glare when they passed him. Sorry (not sorry), kid, better luck next time. “Yeah, I told her I was gonna ask. I didn’t talk to your dad yet. I had planned on it, but then Ikumi pushed forward the timeline. He’s going to hate me now.”

It didn’t get much more traditional than Hyuuga Hiashi. Shikamaru hadn’t planned on asking for permission - he’d heard enough rants from Ino on that practice to know better - but he had planned on giving him a head’s up. So it was with appropriate dread that he said, “Come on. Let’s go talk to him.”

Shikamaru _hated_ his genin.

000

Hinata glanced between Hiashi and Shikamaru when they entered the back room of the restaurant. Her father’s face was stony and Shikamaru’s was pale. Hiashi had not enjoyed having his daughter’s engagement dropped on him, though he’d calmed when Hinata hastily explained why Shikamaru hadn’t been able to talk with him first.

“A shinobi should be able to keep such things to himself until he’s ready to make his move,” Hiashi had finally said, staring at Shikamaru through narrowed eyes. Shikamaru had spent the whole ordeal sitting stiffly next to her, all signs of his usual boredom and annoyance nowhere to be seen.

“Yes, sir, you’re absolutely right. Believe me, next time I need help with something like this, it won’t be Ino I go to,” he had added under his breath. Hinata had relaxed when the muscle on her father’s cheek twitched. It was a sure sign that he was amused.

“I suppose I can’t find much fault with your choice, Hinata.” Shikamaru had looked less than reassured by his assessment, but at least Hiashi hadn’t actively tried to impede the engagement.

There was already a crowd of people there when they arrived. Naruto and Sasuke were the first to greet them. Naruto’s smile was wide, though Hinata thought his eyes might be a little said. She understood - she felt a small pang herself when he pulled her into a gentle hug.

It wasn’t that she wished she was marrying him instead. No, Hinata was happy with Shikamaru; ecstatic, really. It was more like a stab of nostalgia, or muted grief for what they’d once had. Or maybe it was for the girl she’d been, so in love and unaware that everything was going end.

“Congratulations,” he said, then pulled back and slapped his hand against Shikamaru’s upper arm before they exchanged a gruff hug. “I’m happy for you.”

Sasuke nodded at her and all of them ignored the way Hiashi was glaring at Naruto. Her father never had forgiven him for breaking her heart, even when she’d tried to convince him to let it go. Then Kurenai was there with Shino and Kiba and Hinata was lost in a sea of well-wishes and greetings. Her heart felt full to bursting while she held her hand out so that Sakura and Ino could exclaim over the ring.

Yoshino pulled her away to hug her and kiss her cheek. She smiled down at the ring, holding Hinata’s hand gently in her own. “My son may have a multitude of faults -”

Shikamaru sighed, his attention pulled from where Lee was trying to entice him into a discussion about the Youthfulness of Love. “Mom, come on, you’re supposed to talk me up, not try to change her mind.”

She ignored him and kept going, “ - but his choice in a wife isn’t one of them. I’m so happy you said yes.”

Hinata’s eyes filled with tears and she hugged Yoshino gently. It had been so long since she’d had a mother. She liked Yoshino, and they’d gotten along well the few times Shikamaru had brought her over for dinner. Still, she’d been a little worried about how she’d react.

A few minutes later Hinata was taking a moment to breathe in the corner, everyone else distracted by Naruto and Lee arm wrestling across the room. She hoped they didn’t cause any damage to the table.

“You know, you’ve got other options. You don’t have to settle for that guy.”

Hinata glanced over at Joji, who had slunk up next to her and was glaring down at the ground. She pressed her lips together to prevent her smile, not wanting to hurt his pride. Hinata thought his crush on her was sweet and had more to do with his hero-worship of Shikamaru than her. Despite how much he tried to hide it, she knew he worked hard to emulate his grumpy clan head.

“I don’t want anybody else, Joji. When you’re older and fall in love, you’ll understand.”

He sighed and pushed his hands into his pockets. “I suppose a guy has to know when to give up. Congratulations, I guess.”

Hinata leaned down and gave him a gentle hug. When she pulled back his cheeks were red. Well, maybe his crush had a little something to do with her, after all. “Thanks, Joji.”

She watched him amble over to Airi and Kenta. Her genin team was adorable. A moment later Shikamaru’s arm wrapped around her waist and he pressed a kiss to her temple. “Will his heart ever recover?” he asked as he passed her a plate of food.

“Don’t tease. Don’t you remember your first crush?”

“Nope. All other women fade to the background of my memory when you’re next to me.”

She laughed. His crooked smile made her want to lead him to somewhere they could be alone. His eyes darkened and she knew he could tell exactly what she was thinking, and wasn’t opposed to it. Then Kiba was standing on a chair and yelling about giving a toast and the moment was broken. Shikamaru’s smile was wry as he turned his attention back to their friends and family.

Hinata supposed there wasn’t any rush. After all, they had the rest of their lives together to look forward to.

_Four Months Later_

Shikamaru reached out and grabbed Gaku’s collar in one hand and Airi’s in the other as they dashed past him. They put on their most innocent, _please don’t be mad at me_ expressions. Their large watery eyes had absolutely zero effect on him after being subjected to them so often.

“What did Hinata and I say?”

Gaku stuck out his lower lip and Airi sighed. Shikamaru narrowed his eyes. “That if we wanted to come with you to Sand, we had to be on our best behavior and not ruin the Kazekage’s sister’s wedding,” Joji said in a bored tone next to him.

“That’s right. And what do you think will happen if you’re running around screaming your heads off just before the ceremony?”

Gaku cringed when he raised a brow at him. “Um. That we’ll ruin the wedding?”

“Yep.” He popped the ‘p’ and dropped the two children, who landed neatly on their feet and started straightening their formal clothes. “So please, _please_ go sit down and don’t embarrass all of Konoha with your inability to stay still for longer than three seconds.”

The three of them looked at him like he was the person who was out of line before moving off to find their seats. Shikamaru waved at Kankuro, who was watching him with two raised brows from his spot at the door. He seemed to have gotten over his animosity towards Shikamaru since the last time he was there. It might have something to do with how Temari and Riku now looked at each other when they thought nobody was paying attention.

Temari had admitted to him that she’d fallen in love with her husband-to-be in one of the infrequent letters they’d been sending back and forth. It was after he’d revealed that he and Hinata were engaged. Up until then, they’d kept their correspondence focused on less potentially painful subjects, but he hadn’t wanted her to hear it through somebody else.

Shikamaru hadn’t thought she’d been serious when she’d asked if they could try to be friends. They’d been standing at the gates just before he left Sand to head for the Ketsueki base in Tea. Temari’s voice had been low and hesitant and she’d asked on the heels of him accepting her apology. At the time he had thought she was just trying to make things less awkward for future inevitable meetings. But two weeks after returning to Konoha from their mission, he’d received a letter from her.

It had been easier than he’d thought it would be to transition into friendship. He knew it had everything to do with Hinata. It was hard to be bitter about the past when his future was so bright. Speaking of Hinata, she had just walked through door, Kenta and Ikumi on her heels. His breath left him in a whoosh when he saw how gorgeous she looked decked out in her traditional kimono with her hair pulled up, little tendrils falling around her face.

He cleared his throat and waved awkwardly when she spotted him. He weaved his way through the crowd until he was standing next to her and held his arm out for her to take. She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and leaned against him.

“You look nice,” she said, gaze moving over his suit.

“You look gorgeous,” he said and Ikumi snickered and leaned over to whisper something in Kenta’s ear. He turned bright red and squeaked.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. “Should we go find our seats? We need to make sure Naruto isn’t riling up the genin.”

“Sasuke wouldn’t let him do that,” Hinata said.

“Maybe not, but we should make sure just in case.”

Naruto waved enthusiastically from the row that had been set aside for the Konoha contingent. Sasuke sat next to him, staring down the four genin who were already seated with narrowed eyes. They looked meek and terrified. Shikamaru would have to ask him for some pointers.

Sasuke’s arm was still in a sling from all the trouble he and Naruto had managed to get into while on their diplomatic mission in the West. In the end, all the leaders of the Western Territories had signed a treaty with the Allied Forces. According to Temari, the whole thing had involved saving two princesses, preventing four villages from being destroyed by natural disasters, and Naruto getting obscenely drunk with all of them. Naruto had simply said that is was all thanks to the power of friendship and understanding.

They settled into their seats just before the ceremony began. For once, the genin behaved themselves for longer than five minutes. Temari looked beautiful, of course, but Shikamaru didn’t feel more than a small tightening in his chest when she smiled at Riku, who was staring at her with a mixture of disbelief and love.

“Oh,” Hinata whispered after they kissed. “They really love each other. I’m so glad.”

“Yeah,” Shikamaru agreed and smiled when he saw she was staring at him with worried eyes. He ran a thumb over her engagement ring and she beamed back at him.

Their moment was broken by a bark at the door just as Temari and Riku exited among polite applause to get changed for the reception. Gaku stood so fast his chair screeched across the floor, drawing the room’s attention to them. “No! Bee, I told you to stay in our quarters!”

Gaku dashed after his ninken, who was now yapping up at a bemused Gaara. He was followed closely by five other preteens, all yelling over each other as they denied being the ones to leave a door or window open, allowing Bee to escape. Shikamaru put a hand over his eyes and slumped when Naruto joined the fray. How was this his life?

“I hate our genin,” he moaned.

A soft hand tugged his own away from his face and everything felt much better when Hinata kissed him softly. “It’s okay, Gaara’s got them under control.”

He glanced over and let out a surprised laugh. All six genin, the ninken, and Naruto were being floated out of the area on a platform of sand. Sasuke was following behind them, shoulders slumped and expression pinched. Bee was chewing on Naruto’s hair and Airi almost fell off the platform, she was laughing so hard. Only a tendril of sand whipping out to put her gently back in place saved her.

“They aren’t invited to our wedding,” Shikamaru said.

Hinata’s shoulders shook with laughter. “The genin or Naruto and Sasuke?”

“All of them.”

Most of the people around them had filtered out after Gaara and his prisoners to head for the tents that had been set up for the reception, but they were still in their seats. He reached up and trailed his fingers over a curl lying softly against her cheek. “Did I tell you that you look beautiful, yet?”

Her cheeks turned red. “You did.”

“Well, it’s worth saying twice.” He intertwined their fingers and stood, pulling her up with him. “Alright. Into the trenches.”

She laughed again and his whole body was warm and buzzing with the satisfaction of putting a smile on her face. “Well, as long as you’re my mission partner, I’m not afraid,” she said.

He lifted the back of her hand to his lips. “Same.” Everything felt just a little bit better with her by his side. He supposed Kakashi’s punishment wasn’t so bad after all.

He heard a crash and frantic barking as they approached the tents and sighed when Hinata dropped his hand and took off in a half-run towards the ruckus. He wondered if it was too late to request being put back into ANBU.

Then Hinata glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled. He hurried to catch up before she could disappear out of sight, all thoughts of being anywhere else but by her side forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's finished! Thanks so much to everybody who supported me throughout this. It was fun and involved leather jumpsuits, which is a check off my bucket list.
> 
> I'm going on hiatus through November, so no ByakuNara Thursdays for a bit. Hope to see you all around when I'm back, and thanks again for reading/kudos/comments/happy thoughts - all of it!


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